Will Lazio and Napoli be able to avoid Serie A title race upsets against plucky underdogs? When will the Juventus attack finally wake up? Can AC Milan play a complete game? And will Roma be able to pull off a Monday night upset vs. Atalanta? Plus, all eyes will be on Fiorentina and Inter Milan as the two best offenses in the Italian top flight battle it out in what is sure to be the game of the week.
As Matchday 14 creeps up with an opener between relegation candidates Cagliari and Hellas Verona, let me try my hand at predicting the scores for every Serie A matchup this weekend.
Cagliari vs. Verona
This game is going to be crazy. Expect a whole of shots in an end-to-end game packed with action, because neither of these teams are able to play the ball in the middle of the park or keep possession.
What it all could come down to is the goalkeeping of Lorenzo Montipo, who has usually been a heroic figure for the Gialloblu. But lately, the Verona shot-stopper hasn’t been able to, you know, stop shots, with, by far, a league-worst 10 goals allowed more than what is expected.
So with that, look for Cagliari to take this one, 3-2.
Como vs. Monza
Como vs. Monza is going to be another really fun matchup that neutral fans around European football shouldn’t sleep on, because there is a lot at stake for both of these teams with ambitious investment that are staring down the barrel of relegation.
Both teams have been poor and for all of their attacking signings and even notable defensive additions, they are both woefully prepared for a grueling Serie A season when you look at their lack of quality in midfield.
Expect this to be a cagey affair until the floodgates open in the last moments. Between these two sides, I prefer Como to win 2-1 because of the individual quality of Gabriel Strefezza and Nico Paz.
AC Milan vs. Empoli
We come to our first “big team” in Serie A, and Empoli actually line up quite nicely for AC Milan when you look at what the Rossoneri’s strengths and weaknesses have been.
And their issues are exactly what we expected coming into the season. Milan are still poor defensively and missing a true anchoring presence in midfield, which is why it’s hard to take them seriously as Scudetto contenders even though they are in the conversation.
Milan, though, have a brilliant attack, especially when Paulo Fonseca isn’t sabotaging his best player, Rafael Leao. Empoli, meanwhile, are excellent defensively but suspect offensively, which means Milan should be able to get a 2-0 win here.
Bologna vs. Venezia
Bologna have taken a predictable step back without Joshua Zirkzee, Riccardo Calafiori, and Thiago Motta coaching them, but they are still a solid team and certainly a superior side to Venezia, who quite clearly have the worst squad in Serie A.
Santiago Castro and Riccardo Orsolini should be able to fly high and lead Bologna to a 3-0 victory at the Renato Dall’Ara.
Udinese vs. Genoa
It’s been since Oct. 25 when Udinese last won, triumphing 2-0 over Cagliari. Genoa is a winnable matchup for the Florian Thauvin-led Friulani, but when you match up these two teams head-to-head, there’s honestly no reason to state that Udinese are significantly better.
Look for these two to share the spoils 1-1 unless the home side make the ballsy move of starting Iker Bravo, who, alongside Thauvin, is the only real attacking difference-maker.
Parma vs. Lazio
I like Parma as a side, and they can do real damage to any team in Serie A, so even a title contender like Lazio – just one point back of league leaders Napoli – need to be on high alert this Sunday when they hit the road.
Parma have a promising 21-year-old striker in Ange-Yoan Bonny who leads the team in goals and some good pieces in midfield. Lazio should do just enough to win 2-1 behind their exciting attack, but don’t be surprised if this is closer than the table suggests.
Torino vs. Napoli
Torino are another team that loves to play spoiler, and they are consistently in the mix as a team competing in the middle of the table with an outside dream of qualifying for the Conference League.
Napoli are the league leaders for a reason, and I’d wager that they have the best defender (Alessandro Buongiorno) and forward (Khvicha Kvaratskhelia) in the entire league.
How far they go will depend on the striker and right winger. Torino don’t have a particularly good defense, though, and I think Politano and, especially, Kvara, can carve up their matchups with pure speed and dribbling ability.
Call this one a 3-1 win for Napoli, courtesy of Kvara contributing to all three goals.
Fiorentina vs. Inter
I write these in chronological order, but if I wrote them in order of anticipated importance, then obviously Fiorentina vs. Inter Milan would be in first because I see both sides as valid Scudetto contenders.
Yes, both. Fiorentina have as complete of a squad as any in Serie A, with perhaps only Inter themselves boasting both a more talented attack and a more well-balanced starting XI.
At the Artemio Franchi, I actually think the Viola do just enough to steal a point from Inter with a 2-2 result and make a bold statement to the rest of Serie A that they are here and as good as anyone Italian football has to offer in 2024/25.
Lecce vs. Juventus
Relatively speaking, these are two of the worst attacks in Serie A. I know that Juventus have technically scored more goals in the league than AC Milan, but I don’t know that anyone looks at the personnel on both teams and thinks that the Bianconeri have a better front than Milan.
Meanwhile, Lecce have scored the fewest goals in Serie A with six, which is even four goals less than Empoli’s barely existent attack. Lecce have suffered tremendously without Strefezza.
Juventus have failed to score in each of their last two games against quality opposition, Aston Villa and AC Milan, and even though they have consistently put two past sides in the bottom half of the Serie A table, such as Lecce, I just don’t trust them.
Look for this one to be a third straight ugly 0-0 draw for Juventus on the road, with questions asked about Thiago Motta. I’m not sure the return of Dusan Vlahovic this weekend – if it even happens – will be enough to lift the Bianconeri.
Roma vs. Atalanta
If it weren’t for Fiorentina vs. Inter Milan, Roma vs. Atalanta would be the game of the matchweek in Serie A. While I would love to predict a bold Roma victory at the Stadio Olimpico, these are two teams in very different places right now.
Roma actually have superior defensive personnel, but they just don’t play well together with balance. Atalanta, on the other hand, believe in each other as a unit and have clear ideals from Gian Piero Gasperini.
Expect Atalanta to take this one 3-1 behind another brace from Mateo Retegui and strong individual performances from the other attacking players, including the on-fire Ademola Lookman.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.