The Italian top flight resumes for the New Year with a host of mouthwatering fixtures lined up in round 18 of the Serie A.
AC Milan kicked off their new year with a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Cagliari on Friday night to send them to the top of the table. Milan are on 38 points, two more than second place rivals Inter, who are not in action until Sunday night against Bologna.
Napoli are in third place with 34 points, followed closely by AS Roma (33) as Juventus round up the top five spots in the country.
Pisa and Fiorentina are the only two sides with only one win to their name after 17 matches and remain rooted to the bottom of the table with 11 and nine points respectively.
With lots of action lined up this weekend, we have a look at the top fixtures and offer our predicted outcomes.
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Como vs Udinese – Saturday, 2:30PM
Como snapped a two-match losing streak to bounce back with a 3-0 win at Lecce in their last outing.
They are in sixth place with 27 points, five more than 11th place Udinese ahead of this crucial test.
After a 5-1 demolition at the hands of last place Fiorentina, Udinese battled to a 1-1 draw against Lazio as they desperately seek to bounce back to winning ways.
Como were 4-1 when these two sides met in the Serie A last season, while Udinese won the reverse fixture 1-0.
With their admirable home form this season and consistent performances, the hosts are tipped as favorites in this game.
Prediction – Como to win @ 1.80 odds
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Atalanta vs AS Roma – Saturday, 10:45PM
Gian Piero Gasperini returns to Bergamo as he brings his Roma side to battle it out against his former employers.
Atalanta are coming off a 1-0 defeat to Inter, leaving them in 10th place with 22 points, while Roma are in fourth with 33.
Roma were 3-1 winners last time out against Genoa and can go into the top two with a win here.
It is a revenge mission for Roma after they lost both fixtures to Atalanta last season, losing 2-0 at home before a 2-1 defeat on the road.
Both sides are on an identical run of form ahead of the clash, winning three and losing two of their last five games.
Prediction – Both teams to score @1.93 odds
Lazio vs Napoli – Sunday, 2:30PM
Lazio are unbeaten in their last five matches and are hoping to extend that run when they host Napoli.
Their run has seen them climb into eighth place on the Serie A log with 24 points, ten behind their challengers who are in third place.
Napoli bounced back from their shock defeat to Udinese with a 2-0 victory against Cremonese, while Lazio are coming off back to back draws.
Lazio will be confident in the fact that they have not lost to Napoli since 2022 and their home advantage should play a huge role here.
Prediction – Lazio or draw @1.59 odds
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Inter Milan vs Bologna – Sunday, 10:45PM
Second place Inter are looking to make a perfect start to the year when they host a stubborn Bologna outfit at the San Siro.
The hosts are coming off a morale-boosting 1-0 away win against Atalanta, while Bologna were held to a 1-1 draw by Sassuolo in their last outing.
A run of four league games without victory leaves Bologna in seventh place with 26 points.
However, they beat Inter 3-2 over two legs in the Super Coppa Italiana semifinal last month and are hoping they can repeat their success.
Inter have not been victorious against Bologna in the league since the 2023/24 season and need to be at their best if they are to reclaim top spot in Serie A.
Prediction – Inter to win @1.45 odds
Photo: Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Ciancaphoto Studio/Getty Images
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