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Mixed martial arts Serie A Best Bets: Sunday May 8th
With three games remaining in the 2021/22 Serie A season, we’re still no nearer to establishing who is going to win the Scudetto and who will find themselves relegated to Serie B. I’ve got best bets for three of Sunday’s matches, all of which have a significant bearing on what happens at both ends of the division.
Serie A Best Bets: Sunday May 8th
- Spezia vs Atalanta: Atalanta win and Yes on BTTS (2.87)
- Salernitana vs Cagliari: Salernitana win (2.40)
- Verona vs AC Milan: Under 2.5 goals (2.10)
Serie A Treble odds: 14.49
Odds above are via bet365 as of 11:00 May 6th 2022. Odds may now differ.
Odds below are best odds available as of 11:00 May 6th 2022. Odds may now differ.
Spezia vs Atalanta Best Bet
Sunday, May 8th, 11:30 (UK Time)
Two out-of-form teams meet in Liguria on Sunday morning, with both sides chasing victory for differing reasons.
Spezia’s run of two wins from their last 12 matches, combined with the recent revival of Salernitana, has meant the threat of relegation to Serie B has suddenly become possible again. A positive result against Atalanta this weekend should guarantee survival, which would allow the club to switch its focus onto solving the uncertainty regarding Thiago Motta’s future as manager.
The chances of victory on Sunday appear slim, however, especially given that Spezia have lost seven of their eight home games against teams currently residing in the top half of Serie A. As well as suffering defeat, Motta’s side conceded two or more goals in six of those matches.
Nevertheless, if there was ever a good time to play Atalanta, it’s now. Across the last 15 games, Atalanta have collected fewer points than their weekend opponents. Even their usually reliable away form has suffered this calendar year: Gian Paolo Gasperini’s men have won just three of their seven away games in 2022, compared to eight (of 10) in the first half of the season.
Despite their poor form, Atalanta remain within touching distance of the sides occupying the Europa League spots. The return of Duvan Zapata has also coincided with the team refinding their scoring boots. ‘La Dea’ have found the net on eight occasions in their last three fixtures and will be confident of adding to that tally considering Spezia’s disastrous record against the stronger sides in the division.
The away side should have enough quality to take all three points, but it won’t be straightforward. For all their attacking strength, Atalanta have only kept five clean sheets on the road this season. Meanwhile, without being overly prolific in terms of numbers, Spezia have scored in 14 of their 17 home matches, suggesting it should be an entertaining game at the Stadio Alberto Picco.
- Selection: Atalanta win and Yes on Both Teams to Score
- Best Odds: 2.87 (Bet365)
- Stakes: 7/10
Salernitana vs Cagliari Best Bet
Sunday, May 8th, 17:00 (UK Time)
After Thursday evening’s massive victory over Venezia, Salernitana find themselves outside the relegation zone for the first time since the opening weeks of the season.
Of all the teams currently involved in the relegation battle, Salernitana have the greatest amount of momentum. Four wins from the last five games also make Davide Nicola’s men the most in-form side in Serie A.
Nicola’s appointment has proven to be a masterstroke. Under his stewardship, Salernitana have noticeably been more efficient going forward, failing to score in just three of his 14 games in charge.
On the other hand, Cagliari are on a wretched run of seven defeats from their last eight games, which has led them to sack manager Walter Mazzarri in controversial circumstances. It’s a decision that has probably done more harm than good to their chances of survival.
Unlike their opponents this weekend, Cagliari have struggled for goals of late, scoring just four goals during the aforementioned eight-game sequence. Three of those have been scored by striker Joao Pedro, without whom Cagliari would find themselves in a lot more trouble.
Given the contrasting form and confidence levels of both sides, I’m expecting Salernitana to pick up three points to edge them closer to a great escape. The 2.40 on offer with the bookmakers looks like excellent value and is a price I expect to shorten come Sunday evening.
- Selection: Salernitana win
- Best Odds: 2.43 (MarathonBet)
- Stakes: 7/10
More Salernitana vs Cagliari Tips
Verona vs AC Milan Best Bet
Sunday, May 8th, 19:45 (UK Time)
The final fixture of Sunday’s Serie A programme features title-chasing Milan’s tricky trip to Verona.
Milan will be fully aware of Inter’s result come Sunday evening, which could significantly enhance the pressure on the away side. However, the ‘Rossoneri’ have shown no signs of wilting to date and are currently on a 13-match unbeaten run in Serie A stretching back to January.
The foundation for this excellent run of results has undoubtedly been Milan’s rock-solid defensive unit. Stefano Pioli’s men have kept nine clean sheets in the last 13 league games, conceding just five goals during the same period. Goals haven’t exactly been flying into the opposition’s net at the other end of the field either, meaning just three of Milan’s last 13 games have featured over 2.5 goals.
Sunday evening’s opponents, Verona, represent another difficult obstacle for Pioli and his side. Offensively, Igor Tudor’s men will pose a major threat to the Milan backline. Only four teams have scored more goals than Verona in the league this season, whilst at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi, they have failed to score in just one of their 17 matches.
Despite the home team’s obvious attacking strengths, I believe Milan will maintain their current solid defensive record. In addition, the league leaders don’t normally fly out of the blocks on the road. Milan have scored just two first-half goals in their seven away matches since the turn of the year. Should this trend continue and the game remains tight, Milan will naturally become more cautious in a bid not to lose such an important fixture.
As a result, I’m expecting to see another low-scoring game involving the ‘Rossoneri’.
- Selection: Under 2.5 goals
- Best Odds: 2.23 (MarathonBet)
- Stakes: 8/10
WHAT IS A SERIE A ACCA?
A Serie A acca is an accumulator bet, a type of bet that consists of several selections across different matches that are combined together into one single bet. An acca usually. consists of at least four selections but many more can be included. There will be odds for the single bet as a whole which is calculated by multiplying the odds of all of the selections. A Serie A acca is one of the most popular ways to bet. This is the case because they can create potentially massive odds for a small stake. Many punters choose to create Serie A accas which is what we have created here. If one of these selections loses then the Serie A acca will lose. This type of bet needs every selection to win in order to succeed.
