Italian Serie A
2009-05-03 - Juventus vs Lecce
A Sports Betting Pick by Cruiser
Analysis:Juventus are battling to finish in second spot ahead of A.C Milan as they are now out of the Champions League, Coppa Italia, Scudetto race and are now two points away from A.C Milan. Juventus last win was when they bear Roma 4-1 in week 29 and have not won their last four matches since then. But it could come into their favour playing this match behind closed doors as punishment for the racist abuse targeted at Inter’s Mario Balotelli.
Claudio Ranieri made some decisions which got the fans unhappy in the 2-2 draw with Reggina when he left Sebastian Giovinco in the stands and also captain Alessandro Del Piero substituted. It will be interesting to see what kind of attack Ranieri chooses for this match. Vincenzo Iaquinta is in good form while Amauri and David Trezeguet are also ready having recovered from their injuries.
Juventus still have a number of players out. The likes of Momo Sissoko, Hasan Salihamidzic, Albin Ekdal, Giorgio Chiellini, Dario Knezevic, Christian Molinaro, Claudio Marchisio and possibly Nicola Legrottaglie too. That would mean we are likely to see youth team defender Lorenzo Ariaudo start again with Olof Mellberg at centre back. Mauro Camoranesi and Tiago Mendes will start after their suspensions and Cristiano Zanetti, who scored his first Serie A goal in five years against Reggina is also set to start.
Lecce on the other hand hopes that their 2-1 win at home against Catania will inspire them to get a result in this match. That win was their first on home soil since September 28 and ended a 14-round winless run. They normally raise their game when the situation demands it as their previous win was 2-1 away to Fiorentina and they gave Roma a real scare a fortnight ago with their 3-2 loss at the Olimpico.
As for the team news, Luca Ariatti comes back after suspension, but they still have a long injury list in Daniele Cacia, Antunes, Angelo, Fabio Caserta and Ndiaye Papa Waigo. De Canio looks set to opt for a defensive formation with Guillermo Giacomazzi supporting lone striker Simone Tiribocchi upfront. Incidentally, Konan was the star of the show when Lecce won 4-3 in Turin on April 25, 2004, scoring two goals.
When they met earlier this season, Juventus barely managed to beat Lecce when they won 2-1 in injury time thanks to Amauri’s header. Giovinco had also scored in that game and will be eager to get the chance to start once again. Lecce have not managed for the record to beat Juventus in any of their last seven meetings – home or away – and conceded 20 goals and only scoring six.
Take Juventus to win this match and give the 1 1/2 ball here.
Cheers and good luck,
Cruiser
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Juventus to win 3-1
BEST BETTING TIP :
Take Juventus to win this match.
Gooner’s Statistical Value Bet
Take Juventus and give the 1 1/2 ball here.
