Italian Serie A
2009-05-31 - Udinese vs Cagliari
A Sports Betting Pick by Gooner
Football: Italy, Serie A
Sunday 31st May 2009 - Kickoff 14:00
Udinese (8th - Home Rec : 10-5-3 30:16)
Udinese have had a pretty successful season by their standards, reaching the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup, and having a pretty good attempt at qualifiying for Europe again with a high placing this season.
Udinese were on a run of six straight victories before having to settle for a 2-2 draw at Sampdoria last weekend, and that seven match unbeaten streak in the best sequence all season.
Striker Fabio Quagliarella has scored 12 Serie A goals this season, and is being rumoured as a target for both Juventus and Napoli, and will be looking for another good performance to boost his chances.
Udinese Team News :
Simone Pepe returns from a ban and should push Antonio Floro Flores on to the bench.
Cagliari (9th - Away Rec : 4-4-10 23:32
Cagliari have had a good second half of the season, before dropping away in May, but they saved their best performance of the season for their last home game - beating Champions Inter Milan 2-1 last weekend.
That may help to explain the pricing for this week's game but in truth the Sardinian side have always been a poor travelling side and it's no different this season with 11 wins at home and just 4 away victories.
A 1-2 loss at bottom placed Reggina in their last road game just underlines the poor performances.
Cagliari Team News :
The Sardinians make the trip without the injured Paolo Bianco and Rafael Acosta, but there ought to be no changes to the line-up that beat Inter.
Head to Head
Last season Cagliari shocked Udinese with a 2-0 win here near the end of the season. That was the first time that Cagliari had avoided defeat at the Satdio Friuli in five attempts.
Probable Teams
Handanovic;
Isla, Zapata, Felipe, Pasquale;
Inler, D’Agostino, Asamoah;
Sanchez, Quagliarella, Pepe
Cagliari :
Marchetti;
Pisano, Astori, Canini, Agostini;
Fini, Conti, Biondini;
Cossu;
Acquafresca, Jeda
The Betting Verdict
Udinese are a team that's in as good form as they've matched this season, they should have a large end of season crowd in the stadium, and generally the home fans have been pretty happy with the teams efforts.
I have the home side as strong favourites to win by 1-2 goals, and I had expected to see a price of around 1.50 - but I beleive that Cagliari's shock win over Inter Milan changed that.
Still, playing Cagliari at home and playing Cagliari on the road are like facing two different teams, and I'm prepared to back Udinese and take this very good price.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Udinese 3-1 Cagliari
BEST BETTING TIP :
Take UDINESE to win.
