Competition: Serie B
Market: Over 1.5 goals
Odds: 4/11 @ 1xBet
Two sides who find themselves battling it out at opposite ends of the Serie B standings, Parma will travel to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Friday night when they meet Sampdoria.
Starting with the hosts, losing their Serie A status last season and dealing with a string of glaring issues, Sampdoria find themselves at the heart of another nightmare spell. Although Andrea Pirlo’s men might have managed to find a route out of the drop zone, the former Juventus icon certainly has a huge amount of pressure on his shoulders. Opening the New Year with a 5-3 loss at the hands of Venezia, the Blucerchiati have collected just a single point from their previous three second-tier appearances and they open this weekend’s fixtures firmly looking over their shoulder at the relegation play-off spots. With their extended issues underlined by an action-packed 3-2 defeat at home against Feralpisalo, Sampdoria have gained a reputation for their glaring defensive struggles. In fact, including a 3-1 drumming at the hands of Brescia last month, Friday’s hosts have recorded just a single clean sheet from any of their last seven showdowns. It should also be noted, Pirlo’s men have seen all of their previous eight appearances finish with over 1.5 goals.
As for the visitors, although Parma might have been disappointed after opening the New Year with a 1-1 stalemate at home against Ascoli, Fabio Pecchia’s men are enjoying a major Serie B flurry this season. While the Crusaders might have suffered play-off heartbreak last year, they have their sights firmly set on securing a top-flight return. Opening Friday’s trip to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris holding a four-point buffer at the top of the table, the one-time Juventus coach finds his squad in the midst of a seven-match Serie B unbeaten run. Signing off 2024 with a deserved 2-0 victory against Brescia, the Gialloblu will be smelling the chance to make another statement of intent this weekend. Suffering just a single second-tier defeat on their travels since the start of October, Pecchia’s side will be relishing a trip to Liguria. It should be highlighted, with Parma seeing 16 of their previous 18 appearances across all competitions finish with over 1.5 goals, we are expecting a similar outcome here.
Bet: Over 1.5 goals at Sampdoria vs Parma 4/11 for Friday’s Serie B battle @ 1xBet