Football betting analyst Mark O’Haire returns to share his favourite fancies from the weekend with a pair of plays proposed from Italy and Switzerland.
Juventus hit the Serie A summit last weekend following a 3-0 thumping of Lecce and head coach Massimiliano Allegri finally admitted that the Bianconeri are involved in the title race alongside Inter.
The Old Lady’s resurgence is difficult to dismiss with the Turin giants now taking top honours in 12 of their last 14 league dates without defeat (W12-D2-L0).
Dusan Vlahovic finally appears to have recaptured his Fiorentina form, scoring six goals in his past five Serie A outings, whilst Gleison Bremer has been one of the best defenders in the division.
Meanwhile, Kenan Yildiz is emerging as one of the most talented young players in the league as Juve find the right blend between experienced stars and emerging talents.
The Juventus squad are embracing Allegri’s winning mentality with on-field performances characterised by a resolute rearguard, dynamic midfield play, and clinical finishing.
Of course, the Bianconeri often opt for functionality over flashy, but their football has been effective, especially as hosts (W8-D1-L1) where they’ve conceded just four goals.
Allegri’s options have been hindered by injuries to Federico Chiesa and Adrien Rabiot on Saturday, though Juve remain rock-solid favourites for their Allianz Stadium encounter against lowly Empoli.
Despite those absentees, Juventus to win and Under 3.5 Goals is an appealing play at 1.94 having already paid-out in 14 of the hosts’ 15 triumphs.
Empoli arrive fresh from a surprise 3-0 success over Monza, a result that brings the Tuscans to within two points of safety.
However, it was Gli Azzurri’s first victory in nine (W1-D3-L6), whilst the visitors have also fired blanks in four of their most recent six Serie A matches, a sample that includes heavy home defeats to both Milan and Lazio.
The Swiss Super League has been good fun to follow thus far with the opening 19 rounds producing a lofty 3.11 goals per-game average; 62% of those showdowns covered the Over 2.5 Goals market with a meaty 66% of overall encounters paying-out for Both Teams To Score.
I’m keen to follow those trends when Lausanne-Ouchy and Winterthur face-off.
Rock-bottom Lausanne-Ouchy gave their survival prospects a much-needed boost with a big 3-2 success at Lugano in their first fixture back from the winter break.
The hosts still remain five points adrift of safety but have still managed to net in 14 of their 19 Super League showdowns, getting on the scoresheet in all of their home encounters since early August.
Winterthur played out a thrilling 3-3 draw last week, a result that keeps the visitors entrenched in lower mid-table.
Despite their lowly position, FCW boast the second-best goals return in the division with Patrick Rahmen’s gung-ho outfit bagging multiple goals in six of their nine previous road trips, averaging 2.00 away goals per-game.
However, Winterthur also own the Super League’s worst defensive record, managing only two shutouts across the campaign.
With Lausanne-Ouchy silencing just one of their opponents thus far and boasting the second-worst defence, the two teams should be well capable of playing-out an enjoyable and entertaining clash Saturday showdown.
Collectively, a massive 28 (74%) of 38 Super League matches involving Lausanne-Ouchy and Winterthur and Lausanne have seen Over 2.5 Goals oblige, with the pair delivering profitable Both Teams To Score selections in 30 (79%) of those match-ups, making the 1.91 available on Over 2.5 Goals and Both Teams To Score an appealing angle of attack.
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