Roma vs Sampdoria

Jekyll and Hyde. That is how to best describe Roma’s performances so far this season. The Giallorossi kicked things off with a 1-1 draw versus Porto in Champions League qualifying. Fair enough, considering they got an away goal. Then there was the 4-0 thrashing of Udinese, which saw them score all four goals within 20 second-half minutes.
But then Luciano Spalletti’s men took on Porto for the home leg. Thanks to their away goal, all Roma needed was a draw and they would join Juventus and Napoli as Italy’s representatives in the Champions League. Inexplicably, it all fell apart. Not only did they lose, but did so in a rather embarrassing fashion. A 3-0 score-line was the result in an utter shambolic performance that saw them finish the game with nine men on the pitch.
So now, having thrown away a two goal lead to draw with Cagliari in round two, the Lupi will be hungry to taste victory on match day three. However, their next opponents, Sampdoria, have been in solid form. They’ve won two in two, albeit Roma will represent much tougher competitors than Empoli or Atalanta.

Roma vs Sampdoria: Head-to-head statistics

• Roma haven’t lost in Serie A since January 24, 2016 (1-0 to Juventus)
• Last term, the Giallorossi scored an average of 2.32 goals/game at home (versus league average of 1.47) and conceded 0.89/game (compared to league average of 1.11)
• Sampdoria won just two of their 19 away fixtures last season
• Their last win over Roma, however, was in March 2015 (2-0) at the Stadio Olimpico.

Roma vs Sampdoria: Prediction

Roma won both meetings last season (2-1), but Sampdoria did beat them 18 months ago at the Stadio Olimpico Nonetheless, Spalletti will be demanding a drastically improved performance from his troops ahead of their Europa League tie with Viktoria Plzen.
They will welcome a Sampdoria side with no injuries or suspensions of note. Meanwhile, key midfielder Daniele De Rossi is in doubt due to a calf problem, but given his moment of madness against Porto, his absence may not be too detrimental. The visitors will put up a good fight, but they simply don’t have the attacking arsenal Spaletti has at his disposal. Also, the Lupi will want to head into their European fixture with some positive momentum. A 2-1 result sounds pretty realistic as Sampdoria suffer their first loss of this season.

Roma vs Sampdoria: Betting tips

Roma to win at 3/10 (1.30)
Both teams to score at 19/20 (1.95).

Pescara vs Inter

Back in Serie A after four seasons, Pescara will be hoping to avoid a trip back down to Serie B. The Delfini are making their sixth ever appearance in Italian football’s top flight and started off solidly by drawing Napoli 2-2. Regrettably, their lack of defensive nous was exposed as they ended up conceding twice to drop two points, but it nonetheless was an encouraging start.
Due to an odd twist of fate, Pescara lost to Sassuolo, but still won the match. Specifically, an administrative error on the part of the Neroverdi forced them to forfeit, with a customary 3-0 win being awarded to the Delfini. For a team that will be in a relegation battle later this season, they will be more than happy to take three “free” points any way they can.
Meanwhile, Inter, in a bid to boost their fortunes, have made some changes. Roberto Mancini departed last month and was replaced by Dutch tactician Frank de Boer. In addition, the Nerazzurri were quite active during this summer’s transfer market, splashing the cash to acquire Joao Mario and Gabriel Barbosa. As to whether either player will bring something to the table remains to be seen, but fans could see new man Joao Mario in action this Sunday.
With the congested fixture list ahead, de Boer will face a tough choice between rotating his squad to keep key members fresh or fielding a strong starting XI to pick up a much-needed win. It goes without saying that he will likely go with the second option. The Nerazzurri need all the positive momentum they can get as they intend to compete on three fronts this season.

Pescara vs Inter: Head-to-head statistics

• Pescara have yet to win, let alone score against Inter.
• The hosts have faced the Nerazzurri only twice previously (in 2012/2013) and lost both home and away, 3-0 and 2-0.
• Inter have lost their past four away games and conceded two or more goals in three of those fixtures

Pescara vs Inter: Prediction

Yes, Pescara (4 points) are in the top half of the table looking down on Inter (1 point). And the Nerazzurri have been far from their best. However, that does not change the fact that Inter – on paper at least – are a far superior side to the Delfini. Certainly, Pescara’s draw with Napoli was impressive, but their “win” over Sassuolo was given following the Neroverdi fielding an ineligible player.
Deduct those “free” three points, and Pescara really are no better off than the Nerazzurri. Staying afloat this term is going to be their primary objective, whilst Inter will be keen on chasing a Champions League spot. Nonetheless, one cannot dispute that the Nerazzurri have been absolutely poor so far. One point from two games – a draw with Palermo – is not encouraging news for a team hoping for a top three finish.
Then again, Juve started off badly last term and went on to win the league. In any case, this should be a straightforward three points for Inter and bring an end to their away losing streak. In addition, it’s also a chance for new coach Frank de Boer to get his troops back on track ahead of their Europa League game next week. Pescara will certainly try to give them a good game, but ultimately will be outclassed. 2-1 for this match.

Pescara vs Inter: Betting tips

Inter win at 8/11 (1.73)
Over 2.5 goals at 19/20 (1.85).

AC Milan vs Udinese

Having earned a 2-1 in a friendly with Bournemouth, AC Milan will be hoping to maintain some of that form as they welcome Udinese on Sunday. Although they started with a win over Torino, the Rossoneri lost the plot against Napoli. Vincenzo Montella’s men finished the match two men – and two goals – down and will now look to rebound following that 4-2 loss.
Milan are currently in their third straight season without Champions League – or even Europa League football. For a team that was once one of Europe’s elite, it’s a rather discouraging situation, to say the least. In the past two years, the Diavolo have also experienced a managerial roller-coaster. Before agreeing to sell the club, Silvio Berlusconi dismissed and hired five different coaches between Massimiliano Allegri’s January 2014 sacking and Vincenzo Montella’s appointment this summer.
Udinese also have gone through some difficult times. The Zebrette, once a challenger for European football alongside Italy’s bigger sides, are now trying to slowly rebuild. Gone are the days where they could rely on Antonio “Toto” Di Natale to salvage a point or snatch a win, as age has finally caught up with the 38-year-old striker. It’s no coincidence that Udinese struggled last term due to his own injury problems, and with his retirement there are major concerns how the team will cope.
Giuseppe Iachini’s men barely escaped the drop last term and are already out of the Coppa Italia following a loss to lower-tier side Spezia. The Zebrette were thrashed 4-0 by Roma on opening day, but rebounded well to pick up a 2-0 win over Empoli.

AC Milan vs Udinese: Head-to-head statistics

• Both M’Baye Niang and Juraj Kucka will be suspended for this match after being ejected during the tie with Napoli.
• AC Milan are unbeaten at home in their last nine fixtures against Udinese (three draws, six wins).
• Udinese were leading or drawing in 12 out of their 19 away matches last season.
• Milan have only failed to score once in their past 23 Serie A matches against Udinese at the San Siro.
• The last time this fixture finished scoreless was in May 2011

AC Milan vs Udinese: Prediction

AC Milan have been a free-scoring side, with five in their first two games, but also equally as defensively suspect. They’ve shipped six so far in Serie A action, and counting friendlies, have conceded at least two in five out of their last six games.
Meanwhile, Udinese will have some injury concerns, with defensive options Thomas Heurtaux and Samir being in danger of missing the game. The Zebrette have also failed to win their last ten road fixtures, but will be looking to take advantage of Milan’s less-than airtight defense.
However, the Diavolo should have just enough to pick up all three points in this one – but Udinese will give them a scare as they won’t be able to maintain a clean sheet.

AC Milan vs Udinese: Betting tips

Both teams to score – YES at 7/10 (1.70)
AC Milan to win at 4/6 (1.67).

Swansea Vs Chelsea

Swansea host high flying Chelsea for Match day 4 of 2016/2017 English Premier League Season.
Swansea City started the season with an away victory at the Toor moor stadium, but failed to win their next 2 league games. The Welsh side lost in their first home game of the season. Francesco Guidolin led side lost 2-0 to newly promoted Hull City in their league appearance at the Liberty Stadium. Subsequently, the Swans visited the defending champions for Match day 3, and succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at the king power stadium.
Chelsea football club is in search of its 4^th consecutive league win, and its 5^th consecutive win in a competitive game. The blues produced a sumptuous show in their last game before the international break by thrashing new boys with a 3-0 scoreline. Conte’s boys have failed to drop a point since the beginning of the new campaign.

Swansea Vs Chelsea: Key Facts

• Swansea maintains 2 league games losing streak. In addition, Swansea failed to win in their first and only league game at home so far this season.
• Chelsea maintains 3 league games winning streak. Moreover, the blues gathered maximum point in their first and only league game away so far this season.

Swansea: Team News

Francesco Guidolin could still without the services of new boy Borja Baston. The 24 years old Spanish forward moved to the Selsh side from Atletico Madrid, and failed to featire in any of their games due to a muscle injury.

Swansea: Predicted Line-Up (4-2-3-1)

Fabianski: Naughton, Fernandez, Amat, Kingsley: Fer, Cork: Barrow, Sigurdsson, Routledge: Llorente

Chelsea: Team News

Chelsea will still be without the services of the young and tenacious Kurt Zouma. However, the French international is reported to be nearing resumption to active action after a long lengthy battle with ligament injury.

Chelsea: Predicted Line-Up (4-1-4-1)

Thibaut: Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta: Kante- Matic Oscar, Willian, Hazard: Costa

Swansea Vs Chelsea: Head to Head

Last season, Swansea enjoyed their first victory in 10 league clashes with Chelsea. Sigurdsson 25^th minute volley gave Swansea 1-0 victory over then Guus Hiddink tutored Chelsea.
However, Chelsea commands 6 victories in the last 10 games with Swansea, compared to Swansea 1.

Swansea Vs Chelsea: Prediction

Considering both sides form coming into the season, it will be pleasant if any one predict a straight win for the blues.
Chelsea has showed great to back up their claim for a possible challenge. However, Swansea will be having the 12^th man to their advantage considering the fact they will playing at home.
Regardless, I will predict a win for the Blues with a little chance of both sides sharing points.

Swansea vs Chelsea: Betting Tips

Over 2.5 goals at 4/5 (1.80)
Chelsea to win at 4/6 (1.66).

Serbia vs Ireland

Serbia seek for a new start after a troubled qualifying campaign for the Euro 2016. A forfeited match against Albania in which their opponents were awarded a 3-0 win and further 3 point deduction resulted in Serbia finish second from bottom of their qualifying group. Slavoljub Muslin took over as the new head-coach on May 2016 and has a big task in rebuilding the squad to compete with the elite Europe.

While Ireland are coming on the back of a morale boosting 4-0 win over Oman on Wednesday. They had a decent campaign at the European Championship in France after reaching the knock-out stages of the tournament. With Martin O’Neil still at the hot seat and core of the players unchanged, Ireland will be hoping to kick start their World Cup qualifying campaign on a positive note.
Serbia vs Ireland: Head-to-Head

Serbia are unbeaten against Ireland in the three meeting between the two sides so far. The latest meeting was on March 2014 at Dublin which resulted in a 2-1 win for Serbia. While the previous two meetings were draws.

All the three previous meetings between Ireland and Serbia were international friendlies and this European World Cup qualifier will be their first ever competitive meeting.
Serbia vs Ireland: Prediction

Serbia are unbeaten in their last four friendlies with 3 wins and a draw in their last game against Russia. However the wins have come against lower ranked sides like Estonia, Cyprus and Israel. But Ireland is a different proportion and are a tough defensive unit which will prove hard to break down. But the Green Army haven’t done well in away matches as they are left with 2 wins from the last 15 trips. At the same what they do with great effect in their travels is hold the opposition to a stalemate. And a low scoring draw can be expected here as well.
Serbia vs Ireland: Betting Tips

Under 2.5 goals at 8/15 (1.53).