Europe is the Real Goal in These Football Games

Europe is the Real Goal in These Football Games

Fiorentina vs Lazio

A full programme of midweek games provides the chance for football betting Italiano style.

And the focus of my sports betting spotlight is on La Viola.

Fiorentina versus Lazio is the setting for my match of the week in Serie A, and the contrast could not be clearer.

Following the tragic death of their skipper Davide Astori, Fiorentina are trying to march unequivocally and emotionally into Europe in his memory.

In the most emotional of campaigns, they have won five matches in a row before a disappointing home draw with SPAL at the weekend.

Coach Stefano Pioli has even got a tattoo last week in Astori’s honour.

Lazio are clinging onto a top-four spot for grim life and are still reeling from the embarrassment of throwing away a seemingly unassailable lead in their Europa League quarter-final defeat to Salzburg.

Of the top ten clubs, only Sampdoria have a worse defensive record than Lazio. That means they are in trouble if the impressive Ciro Immobile has a blip.

Fortunately for the Aquile, they haven’t and are Serie A’s second-highest scorers thanks to Immobile’s club-record 27 goals.

The collapse in the Red Bull Arena will have left young coach Simone Inzaghi feeling some pressure. Not to mention that it further highlighted some flaws and lack of defensive stability.

This could be key in the race for Europe.

Among the matches to keep an eye on elsewhere, the unfortunate Napoli—who host Udinese—now look jaded and their race is run with Juventus six points clear at the summit as they travel to battling Crotone.

SPAL’s fifth successive draw has eased them out of the bottom three and their clash with Chievo, the side directly above them, could determine who stays up. Meanwhile, failure to see off Sassuolo will almost certainly mean the drop for Hellas Verona.

It’s another important week in Serie A.

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