Parma V Juventus
Saturday 24th August 2019 – 17:00 Kick-Off
Italian Serie A
Pick: Juventus & Over 2.5 Goals
Odds: Even (1/1)
Bookmaker: Betway
 |
1 | X | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19/2 | 41/10 | 8/25 |
* (All betting odds displayed were correct as of 22nd August 2019 at 13:30)
Preview: Football in Italy finally returns this weekend. The defending champions will officially get us underway, with Juventus – who are attempting to win a ninth consecutive league title – travelling to Parma for this opening fixture at the Stadio Ennio Tardini, where The Old Lady secured a 2-1 victory in the last campaign.
Italian Serie A Betting with 22Bet
Parma Preview – Gialloblu to pose more problems for champions?
The re-emergence of Parma in Italian football is almost straight out of a movie script; from being declared bankrupt four years ago to securing successive promotions back to the top tier. And while a 14th place finish last season wasn’t exactly the blockbuster conclusion to their first spell back in Serie A that many fans would have longed for, that they even managed to remain in the division should be applauded.
Especially as it could have been so very different. Despite finishing three points above the relegation zone, Parma were extremely fortunate not to be demoted, with their process, according to Infolgol, deemed poorer than all other sides in the league. For a team that conceded more often than all bar the three relegated teams (61, at a rate of 1.61 per game), I suppose we shouldn’t be all that surprised.
Parma did also see out the season in dismal form, with their only victories from the end of January onwards (W2 D7 L9 between then and end of the season) coming against two sides that were in complete free-fall at the time, beating both Genoa and Fiorentina at home 1-0. Those were also the only two occasions that “The Yellow and Blues” were able to claim maximum points from their final twelve Serie A matches contested at home (W2 D5 L5).
Best Parma Bet: Gervinho to Score @ 5/1 Sportingbet? The Ivorian was a thorn in the Juve side on both occasions Parma duelled with The Old Lady in Serie A last season, scoring home and away to notch three times in total against this particular opponent.
Juventus Preview – Sarri desperate to make a positive start?
A new season but the same outcome? A turbulent off-season comprising not only of vast changes to the playing squad but also that of the manager, replacing a serial winner for someone whose regimented approach to coaching earned him mixed reviews at his most recent post and seems fraught with unnecessary risk. Nonetheless, this hasn’t altered the perception in Italy that Juventus remain the team to beat in 2019/20.
Maurizio Sarri has replaced the outgoing Massimiliano Allegri, with the former Chelsea manager tasked with guiding the club to a record-extending ninth consecutive Serie A title. Quite how Ronaldo & Co. take to Sarri-ball remains to be seen. The club has, however, supported the new manager in the summer transfer window, bringing in Matthijs De Ligt for a significant fee to bolster what was, statistically speaking, already the best rearguard in the country.
Luca Pellgrini, Aaron Ramsey, Adrien Rabiot and Danilo are among a number fresh faces who will also wear the famous Black and White of Juve for the forthcoming campaign. Bedding all these players into a new system might not be straightforward, though, as The Old Lady set out to begin the new season in a similar fashion to how they started the last, when opening with eight consecutive victories – including a 2-1 win at Parma. A first league defeat, meanwhile, wasn’t forthcoming until the middle of March.
Best Juventus Bet: Juventus to WIN & Both Teams to Score @ 9/4 Bet365? Although it could be argued that Juve eased up in the closing stages of last season firmly in the knowledge another league crown was wrapped up nice and early, the defence was, nevertheless, breached on too many occasions away from home for it to simply be ignored – keeping only three clean sheets in their final eleven away outings.
Parma V Juventus Key Facts:
- Parma finished the last season in Serie A with only the 18th-best home record: W5 D7 L7.
- Juventus were crowned Serie A champions for the eighth consecutive season in 2018-19, and produced the best away figures: W13 D2 L4.
- Both league meetings last season produced goals; Juventus won 2-1 away but had to settle for a 3-3 draw in Turin.
Betting Summary
Despite performances seemingly falling below the required standard, Parma still retained their Serie A status to finish in a respectable 14th position. Replicating that in 2019-20 would have to be considered a success for a club whose summer business felt low-key. As far as this match is concerned, a positive outcome looks beyond a side whose only winning efforts at home since early December were against a pair of teams whose form had completely ebbed away at the time.
An intriguing season awaits Juventus. That is because anything can happen with Sarri at the managerial helm, as we discovered during his short stint in England with Chelsea. There could be a host of new faces on show but the fact remains, Juve were head and shoulders above everyone in Italy last time around and should, in theory, be winning this opening fixture with something to spare.
Parma flattered to deceive last season, and could have finished a lot further down in the standings. Meanwhile, Juventus remained their usual irrepressible selves to clinch an eighth straight Serie A title with 11 points to spare over the closest pursuer. The Old Lady defence did show signs of creaking towards the end though, which enchances any prospect of goals in this game, although anything less than a Juventus victory would be a huge shock.
