Rinse and repeat. That’s the Juventus motto when it comes to Italian football. Juventus have dominated Serie A like no other team before over the last decade. They have won a record seven titles in a row, and they are heavy favorites to make it eight straight. One game before the halfway point of the season, they are 16-2-0 and nine points up on Napoli for first place in Italy’s top league. Juventus are out to finish the first round robin against Italy’s best unscathed, and they are heavy favorites coming into their match with Sampdoria.
Don't miss the Italian Serie A action from Juventus Stadium in Turin, Italy at 6:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, December 29, 2018. Catch every moment of the match live on ESPN2.
Italian Serie A Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Juventus -414
Sampdoria +1153
Draw +498
Over/Under 3
Odds Analysis
This has been a banner year for Sampdoria to this point. They are on pace to finish in the top five of Serie A for the third time in two decades, and they have been on fire in recent weeks. Sampdoria are unbeaten in their last six matches, with a 4-2-0 record in that stretch, and they have won three in a row by two goals. The blucerchiati knocked off Parma 2-0 two weeks ago, hammered Empoli on the road 4-2 last weekend, and defeated Chievo 2-0 yesterday. Sampdoria have earned results against two of Serie A’s best too, hammering Napoli 3-0 early in the campaign and securing a draw on the road against Lazio.
The Old Lady is back to playing the brilliant defensive football we’ve come to expect. Juventus relied on their back line and goalkeeping with Gianluigi Buffon for years, and that formula has not changed despite Buffon leaving and the club adding a plethora of talented strikers. The top club in Italy posted six straight clean sheets in low scoring wins in Serie A action from the middle of November until last weekend. In that time, they beat contenders like AC Milan, Fiorentina, Inter Milan, and Roma. However, they seem to have had a Christmas hangover as they had to settle for a 2-2 draw against Atalanta yesterday. It was only their second draw all season and first in over two months.
Injury Report
It looks like Bartosz Bereszynski is close to returning for Sampdoria. He was injured at the tail end of a match nearly three weeks ago, and he has been dealing with a leg injury since that time. Bereszynski is training with the club, and Sampdoria are hopeful he can play against Juventus as he was one of their best before going down to injury.
Juventus are dealing with some injuries to important players ahead of this match. Andrea Barzagli and Joao Cancelo are both out for another month with injuries, while Moise Kean, Blaise Matuidi, and Federico Bernardeschi are seen as day-to-day and questionable to play against Sampdoria. Rodrigo Bentancur is set to be suspended for this match after picking up two yellow cards against Atalanta.
Player to Watch
Cristiano Ronaldo is out to be the top goal scorer in Serie A, and he is within striking distance of Genoa’s Krzysztof Piatek, the current leader. Ronaldo has 11 goals thus far, and he is two goals behind Piatek. Although he is 33, he has proven he still has a lot to offer, and he has netted in five of Juventus’ last seven Serie A matches. Ronaldo is also helping out his teammates with five assists on the year.
Serie A Prop Bet – Sampdoria +1.5 at +116
Although Juventus are almost unbeatable, they are getting a little too much love in the alternate spreads given their style of play. They have failed to win by multiple goals in each of their last five matches in all competitions, and Sampdoria are a very good squad.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
I’m not going to call for Sampdoria to pick up a surprising result, but I do think this will be a one-goal game.
Italian Serie A Odds: Juventus 2, Sampdoria 1
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