You normally need to wait until Christmas Day before you get to see all your presents, but Santa has been especially kind to soccer fans this year, as the football calendar on the weekend before Christmas Day is jam-packed with great games. There is a full slate of English Premier League games to look forward to, the ‘El Clasico’ between Barcelona and Real Madrid, as well as one Italian derby between the Serie A odds constant favorite Juventus and AS Roma.
The toughest decision that you are going to need to make is deciding which games to watch and wager on, but the great news here is that all of the big games are on at different times, so you may be able to get them all in, assuming you are okay with getting up early on your day off. The game that we are going to focus on here is the Italian derby, as bitter rivals Juventus and Roma once again go head to head.
The race for the Calcio title is a tight one, with the top 4 teams all within 4 points of one another, with both of these teams in the mix. This is a huge game that has massive championship implications, so let’s see which team offers the best Serie A betting value.
Their focus for the moment, though, will be on keeping pace in the title race. Roma has not won the Scudetto since the 2000-01 season, although they have finished second in 3 of the last 4 season, always behind Juventus, who have hoisted the championship in 6 consecutive seasons.
It’s fair to say that this game is a must win for Roma if they are to go on and be champions, as Juventus are going to be the team to catch as the season progresses. Getting the win here would love them ahead of their city rivals and really set the title race alight.
Serie A Odds & Game Preview: Juventus vs. AS Roma
ICYMI, Sunday’s marksman @Miralem_Pjanic talks about his goal, the week ahead and more ➡️ https://t.co/OEpr1rolqh#ForzaJuve pic.twitter.com/kVU7XbIGBf
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) 19 de diciembre de 2017
- When: Saturday, December 23, at 2:45 PM EST
- Where: Juventus Stadium, Turin
- TV: NBCSN
- Live Stream: NBCSN Live
- Serie A Odds: Juventus -0.5 (Total at 2.5 goals)
Recent Head to Head (Last 5 Games)
- AS Roma 1 – Juventus 1
- AS Roma 3 – Juventus 1
- Juventus 1 – AS Roma 0
- Juventus 1 – AS Roma 0
- AS Roma 2 – Juventus 1
Serie A Top Scorers
- Mauro Icardi (Inter): 17
- Ciro Immobile (Lazio): 15
- Paulo Dybala (Juventus): 12
- Dries Mertens (Napoli): 10
- Gonzalo Higuaín (Juventus): 9
- Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria): 9
- Edin Dzeko (AS Roma): 8
Why bet on Juventus?
Juventus find themselves in second place with 41 points from 17 games, which puts them just 1 point back of the leaders Napoli. There is no team better than Juventus in the Serie A at putting the ball in the back of the net, as they have scored 44 goals to this point in the season while giving up just 14. Goal difference may well end up being a factor in a race that is proving to be this tight, so you have to give the advantage to Juventus there. There is also no team better at home this season, as Juventus have only lost once there, and have picked up 22 points and a +17 goal difference. Juve is coming into this one on the heels of another good rood performance, where they won 3-0 over Bologna, who sit mid-table in the Serie A. There is a chance we could see new signing Federico Bernardeschi back in the line-up.Team Statistics
- Games Played: 17
- Wins: 13
- Loses: 2
- Ties: 2
- Scored Goals: 44
- Conceded Goals: 14
Why bet on AS Roma?
It has been a very good season for Roma, who currently sit in 4th place in Serie A, 4 points off the lead, albeit with a game in hand. They are also in the round of 16 in the Champions League and have what looks to be a manageable tie against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Their focus for the moment, though, will be on keeping pace in the title race. Roma has not won the Scudetto since the 2000-01 season, although they have finished second in 3 of the last 4 season, always behind Juventus, who have hoisted the championship in 6 consecutive seasons.
It’s fair to say that this game is a must win for Roma if they are to go on and be champions, as Juventus are going to be the team to catch as the season progresses. Getting the win here would love them ahead of their city rivals and really set the title race alight.
Team Statistics
- Games Played: 16
- Wins: 12
- Loses: 2
- Ties: 2
- Scored Goals: 28
- Conceded Goals: 10
Probable Line-Ups
Juventus:
- 1-G. Buffon
- 15-A. Barzagli
- 4-M. Benatia
- 12-Alex Sandro
- 2-M. De Sciglio
- 14-B. Matuidi
- 6-S. Khedira
- 5-M. Pjanić
- 10-P. Dybala
- 9-G. Higuaín
- 17-M. Mandžukić
AS Roma:
- 1-Alisson
- 11-A. Kolarov
- 20-F. Fazio
- 44-K. Manolas
- 16-D. De Rossi
- 4-R. Nainggolan
- 24-A. Florenzi
- 7-L. Pellegrini
- 9-E. Džeko
- 8-D. Perotti
- 14-P. Schick
