WE'VE sealed another stellar signing for the season with Serie A don Paolo Bandini bringing his expertise to the site thanks to our partner Unibet.
Paolo is an Anglo-Italian sportswriter who pens a superb weekly Serie A column for the Guardian and his other credits include ESPN, the BBC and TalkSport as well as making regular appearances on the Football Weekly podcast.
He's a Trevi Fountain of knowledge and we're delighted to have him on board. Here he previews Bologna's visit to Juventus.
Juventus v Bologna (Sat 7.45pm)
For Juventus, the path to a seventh consecutive Scudetto now looks straightforward. All they need to do is win their home games against Bologna and Verona. They could even afford to lose to Roma in-between.
Is it totally unthinkable that they might yet find a way to slip up? Anyone clinging to the last vestiges of a title race might observe that two of the last three opponents to take points off them were Crotone and SPAL – both teams below Bologna in the table. The counter-point is that these opponents were, and are, still scrapping to avoid relegation.
Bologna are eight points clear of the drop zone and, realistically, have little to play for. Their manager, Roberto Donadoni, insisted his team would not roll over, but even he was realistic enough not to generate false expectation. “We go there knowing what kind of team Juve are,” he said. “We have to stay very concentrated on ourselves, play a very watchful game … and adapt ourselves to limit them.”
His team does not even travel to Turin at full strength. Midfielders Erick Pulgar, Godfred Donsah and Blerim Dzemaili are all out – leaving a void which you would expect Juventus to exploit. Bologna have not taken a point off the Bianconeri in their own back-yard since 2011. Never say never in this extraordinary season, but the upset is hard to envisage.
Paolo's Tips
- Juve 3, Bologna 0 (24-5, Unibet)
- Higuain to score first (41-20, Unibet)
- Juve -1 (37-100, Unibet)
Anglo-Italian Paolo Bandini writes about Italian football for the Guardian and his tips appear here thanks to our football partner at MrFixitsTips, Unibet. They're making a big splash in the UK betting scene and if you join them today you can claim up to £30 in Welcome Bonuses when you deposit and place your first bet.
