This coming weekend sees the kickoff in Italy’s Serie A, the top tier of Italian domestic football. And with Juventus picking up another league crown this past May, they remain the team to beat.
However, after Napoli ran them so close last season – just four points separated first and second place – there is a feeling that perhaps the Old Lady can be caught. The likes of Inter Milan and AS Roma have been busy in the transfer market looking to bolster their squads ahead of the new campaign.
- Juventus has now won seven Serie A titles in a row.
- Cristiano Ronaldo is the odds-on favorite to be the league’s leading goalscorer.
- Chievo has won its last two home matches.
See the Juventus-Chievo matchup page
Juventus starts the new season on the road
Current champion Juventus kicks off its title defence away to lowly Chievo. The Verona club finished 13th last season, just five points above the relegation zone, and is unlikely to cause the visitors too many problems.
Juventus ended last season strongly, winning three of their last four league games, including a 3-2 win away to Inter and a 3-1 win against Bologna. And given the fact they have bolstered their attack with the addition of a certain Cristiano Ronaldo, we could well be seeing goals in this one as well.
Chievo did manage to end last season strongly with three wins on the bounce, but their head-to-head record with Juventus is nothing short of woeful. In 22 previous meetings, Chievo has only ever managed to win once, with Juventus winning 14 times and the other seven games ending in a stalemate. The odds are stacked firmly in the favor of the champions on the Sportsbook day.
It is therefore of little surprise that Juventus comes into this game as the clear favorites to make a winning start to the season. You can back the Old Lady to take all three points at -450, while Chievo are at +1200 to make it four Serie A wins in a row. A draw is priced in the middle at +450.
However, there should be few hurdles in Juventus’ path on Saturday, with a comfortable 2-0 win for the defending champions at +450. And you can back Ronaldo to score during the game at -200, while he is at +200 to open the scoring.
Ronaldo to take center stage
The Portuguese star will without doubt be the face of Serie A this season, and wresting him away from his beloved Real Madrid was an impressive coup for the Italian league champions. Ronaldo is also the odds-on favorite to finish the season as the league’s top scorer at -150.
Given his record over his nine seasons in Spain, over 30 league goals in a season is certainly not beyond the 33-year-old either. He is at +100 to net over 29.5 goals and the shorter price of -138 to score under 29.5.
And with Juventus brimming with confidence, you can bank on there being goals in this game. OVER 2.5 goals is at -143, with UNDER 2.5 goals in the game at +110.
The Old Lady are unbeaten in their last 13 away matches and that impressive run of form does not look like it is ending at the start of the new season. In fact, with Ronaldo in the starting lineup you can expect Juventus to come racing out of the blocks and exert their dominance early on – they are at +500 to be ahead within the first 10 minutes.
But with Juventus as such clear favorites to win the match, goals could be the key here. A Juventus win combined with OVER 2.5 goals in the game is priced at -120, while you can also bet on the exact number of goals you think there will be in the game.
If you think there will be two goals then that is at +300, while three goals is at the same price and four goals rises to +450. Juventus and a certain Portuguese forward will most certainly be worth keeping your eye on over the coming months.
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