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 Napoli at Cagliari.
Cagliari v Napoli (Mon 7.45pm)
You could argue Napoli found the perfect way to exit the Europa League. Many have questioned whether the Partenopei had the squad depth to fight Juve for the title whilst competing on multiple fronts but a 2-0 win away to RB Leipzig, oh-so-nearly wiping away an embarrassing 3-1 defeat from the home leg, allowed them to walk away with heads held high. Now all energies can be devoted to sustaining an extraordinary domestic run.
Napoli have won nine consecutive games in Serie A, a club record, but will most likely need to extend that run further to hold off Juve. In any case, beating the team who sit 15th in Serie A feels like an obligation in a season when close to 100 points may be required to win the Scudetto.
Cagliari have won just twice since the middle of November, and lost Fabio Pisacane to injury when he was caught up in a car accident outside the club’s training ground last week. But in Leonardo Pavoletti they do have a player with something to prove against Napoli, a team who cast him aside after just six months and two starts in 2017.
Napoli may be exhausted, too, from their European efforts, but the Monday night kick-off does at least mean an extra 24 hours to prepare. It is reported that Arkadiusz Milik may be back on the bench, too, for the first time since rupturing his cruciate ligament in September.
Paolo's Tips
- Cagliari 1, Napoli 3 (10-1, Unibet)
- Pavoletti to score first (21-2, Unibet)
- First goal (no goal, no bet): Cagliari (57-20, 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.
