Serie A Round 26 preview: Inter Milan Try To Close Gap On Top Two Away To Cagliari

Meanwhile, Lazio and Roma lock horns in Roman derby, while Napoli host champions Juventus

The 26^th round of action in Italy’s Serie A is sure to be a cracker, with two huge games taking place over the weekend. The round opens on this coming Friday night (1 March) when Inter Milan visit Cagliari, while the following day sees one of the fiercest rivals in European football when Lazio take on Roma. And on the Sunday afternoon, Napoli welcome league leaders Juventus looking to close the gap at the top of the table.

First things first

Before you go any further, head on over to the Oddsshark website, find your favourite betting site and get your own account up and running using your credit card. As a new customer and with the Serie A campaign already over halfway through, there should be a wide range of promotions and special offers available to you.

Where should I be investing my money?

First up, the clash between Cagliari and Inter Milan on the Friday night. Cagliari have lost three of their last four league outings and are in a precarious situation, just six points above the drop zone – however, they are out at 11.00 to actually suffer relegation.

Inter Milan, by way of comparison, are unbeaten in their last five matches across all competitions. A win here could cut the lead to second place to six points – temporarily, at least.

And it is Inter who come in as the clear favourites to take all three points. You can back the visitors to win at just 1.75 while Cagliari, despite home advantage, are out at 4.75 to get back to winning ways – a draw is priced in the middle at 3.60, according to Oddsshark.

And we are expecting Inter’s technical quality to see them home safe and dry in this one. A narrow, 2-1 win for the away side is priced at 8.50, meaning that a US$5 bet would lead to a US$42.50 pay out, while you can quadruple your money by backing a combo bet of an Inter win, coupled with both teams to score, at 4.00.

Lazio and Roma lock horns in derby

The following day, Lazio and AS Roma are set to lock horns in what should be a fierce local derby. Lazio have lost two of their last three league outings and have dropped down to sixth in the standings – they are now out at 6.00 to make the top four.

Roma, by way of comparison, are unbeaten in their last eight league outings and can come into this derby absolutely brimming with confidence. They are just a point off AC Milan in fourth and are at 2.37 to finish in the top four come the end of the season.

And while the betting is close in this one, it is Roma who come in as the very slight favourites to pick up the win. You can more than double your money by backing AS Roma to claim local bragging rights at 2.60, with Lazio coming in just above that price at 2.62 – a draw would appear to be the least likely outcome and is priced accordingly at 3.30.

And given Roma’s recent form, we think that they will have enough confidence to take all three points. A 1-0 win in Roma’s favour is priced competitively at 11.00, thereby offering more than a ten-fold return on any investment, while you can more than double your money by backing under 2.5 goals in the game at 2.20.

Napoli must beat Juventus to spark title race

And finally, Napoli host Juventus on Sunday knowing that nothing less than a win will do if they are to have any chance of capturing the league title. Napoli are 13 points behind Juventus and are out at 34.00 to finish top of the pile come May.

Juventus, meanwhile, remain unbeaten this season and have won 22 of 25 league games played so far. The defending champions are priced at just 1.005 to retain their domestic crown.

Again, the betting is close, but it is Napoli who come in as the slight favourites to pick up three valuable points, You can more than double your money by backing the home side to win at 2.50, while Juventus are just above that at 2.80 – again, a draw comes in highest of all at 3.20.

And home advantage could well be a deciding factor here. A 2-1 win for Napoli is priced at 10.00, while you can more than double your money by backing over 2.5 goals in the game at 2.10.

Serie A round 26 fixtures:

Friday, 1 March

(4.75) Cagliari x Inter Milan (1.75); draw (3.60)

Saturday, 2 March

(1.95) Empoli x Parma (4.00); draw (3.30)

(1.45) AC Milan x Sassuolo (6.50); draw (4.50)

(2.62) Lazio x AS Roma (2.60); draw (3.30)

Sunday, 3 March

(1.40) Torino x Chievo (8.50); draw (4.33)

(1.61) Genoa x Frosinone (5.50); draw (3.75)

(2.60) Spal x Sampdoria (2.90); draw (3.00)

(2.50) Udinese x Bologna (2.90); draw (3.10)