Giallorossi are Inter-esting versus Nerazzurri

Roma dusted Internazionale 3-0 in Milan this season and odds of 1.73 with Coral are acceptable about the Giallorossi doing the Italian Serie A double over the Nerazzurri.

Having dropped only four Italian Serie A points at home this term, Roma is entitled to close inspection when it trades at decent odds. And it is not as if Internazionale’s Italian Serie A or recent performances demand total respect. Roma lies three places and, more importantly, 17 points ahead of Internazionale on the Italian Serie A ladder. It is only fair to note that fewer points separate Internazionale from Cagliari down in 15th position. And Internazionale failed to beat that same Cagliari team at the San Siro last weekend.

Apart from getting the better of Fiorentina 2-1 in Florence, Internazionale has not performed above expectations in 2014 and that is in spite of playing nine matches across all competitions. Indeed, one would have to say that Walter Mazzarri’s side have been pretty damn disappointing.

Roma is still harbouring hopes of catching Juventus in the Italian Serie A title race and the Giallorossi have lost only twice this season – 0-3 away to Juve in the league and 0-3 away to Napoli in the Coppa Italia. Bookmakers and, in particular Coral, have got their mathematics wrong with regards to Roma’s home odds versus Internazionale.

Verona flogged Bologna 4-1 on the road so it does not make a great deal of sense that the high-flying promoted team is available at odds of 2.00 with Coral to repeat the trick – well, maybe not win by three goals but one gets the idea – when the reverse Italian Serie A fixture occurs on Sunday.

One could say that Verona’s Italian Serie A home record has taken a battering since the turn of the year and, to some extent, that is true because it has accrued only one point from its four home games. But one could say that Verona’s Italian Serie A home numbers have only fallen because its recent opponents have been the top three Italian Serie A sides – Juventus, Roma and Napoli – and eighth-placed Torino. Remember that Bologna is in 17th position.

Also worth remembering is that Bologna has won only two of its last 16 matches across all competitions, its Italian Serie A away statistics are two wins, three draws and seven losses, plus it has failed to score on three of its last five road trips. Verona is several notches above Bologna and, therefore, odds of 2.00 are insult to the home team.

Finally, one cannot resist supporting Genoa at odds of 2.10 with Coral to beat Italian Serie A’s worst travelling side, Catania, at the Luigi Ferraris.

Catania has lifted itself off the foot of the Italian Serie A ladder with one win and three draws from its five league games since Christmas, including goalless stalemates away to Internazionale and Parma. But surely one has to oppose any team whose Italian Serie A road record reads two draws and 11 losses from 13 matches and whose goal difference away from home is an absolutely appalling minus 23.

Genoa drew 1-1 with Catania towards the beginning of the Italian Serie A tournament and it has a positive home record of five wins, four draws and three losses. It is well worth noting that Genoa’s three Italian Serie A home defeats have occurred against third-placed Napoli, fourth-placed Fiorentina and city rival Sampdoria in a derby.

One thinks that Genoa should be odds on to win its Italian Serie A home date with Catania yet the vast majority of bookmakers have got it at even money. It is fine to take odds of 2.00 given all the numbers surrounding the clash.