Serie A: The Old Lady Looking to Leap to the Top of the Table

AC Monza vs Juventus

Matchday 14 is coming up, and the Serie A table looks as tight as it has ever been this season. The usual suspects in the Italian top flight are at the upper half of the table, with Inter, Juventus, Milan, Napoli, and Roma currently the top-five clubs in Italy. But they’re not out of the woods just yet, as the teams in the middle pack are well within striking distance from the league leaders, and with a competitive slate in the month of December, a lot of teams could see a change in rankings before the calendar year ends.

Monza hope to be among the teams with a strong finish this year, but they will need to put in a tremendous amount of work to advance or simply maintain their current position in the standings after a difficult December schedule.

But Juventus has bigger goals in mind. They aim to surpass Inter and top the Serie A standings. The top spot is up for grabs, with the Italian rivals separated by just two points.

Talking Points

Juventus take another crack at the top spot

Serie A was set for the Derby d’Italia, a clash of two of the top clubs in the league, as Internazionale visited the Old Lady at Allianz Stadium a few days ago. The highly anticipated match headlined Serie A 2023 news. Aside from the rich history of this rivalry, the result of the match would dictate who would top the league table and be the apex predator of Italy.

Hungry to get back to their old ways of being one of Europe’s elites, Juventus were hot off the gates and managed to score the opening goal of the match thanks to Dušan Vlahović’s masterful first touch that slotted the ball right past Inter’s keeper.

But aside from the Serbian’s goal, the Derby was dominated by Inter, as they doubled the home team’s possession, passes, and shots at the goal. With that being said, it only took a matter of time—six minutes to be exact—for Internazionale to score a goal of their own.

Lautaro scored the equaliser for Inter in a similar fashion to Vlahović’s. Nothing changed until the match ended, and both teams had to settle for one point apiece. Inter still remain atop the Serie A table, while Juventus will get another crack at it when they face Monza in their next Serie A Matchday.

Allegri and his squad will have 33 points if they defeat Monza, and if Inter loses to Napoli in their subsequent match, Juventus will be the only team atop the league rankings.

Monza proving that they belong in the top flight

Since getting promoted to the Italian top flight last year, Monza have had no trouble keeping up with Italy’s best clubs. They finished last season, their first campaign in the top flight, in the 11th spot, which is an outstanding effort from a club that’s just been promoted to the big leagues.

This year, they’re on an even better trajectory, as they’re just three points behind the fifth-seeded Roma after 13 games. Monza are currently having trouble finding the back of the net, but their defence has been on par with other top teams in Italy, conceding just 12 goals this season so far.

They managed to climb the league table slowly but surely, having drawn three of their last five games, with one win and just one loss. A top-10 finish this season looks like a very achievable feat for Palladino and his team, but with a tough December slate, Monza need to hold their ground against the likes of Milan, Napoli, Fiorentina, and the first boss of their December slate, Juventus.

History

Since joining the Italian top flight last year, Monza have faced Juventus a total of four times. In those meetings, they split the head-to-head matchups into two apiece. They both have won one in front of their home crowd and one away.

Historically, these teams are neck-and-neck, and it looks like Monza are holding their own against the Italian giants, having outscored the old lady with a total of five goals compared to Juve’s four.

In recent form, Raffaele Palladino’s Monza have had a rocky stretch in their past six games, having won just two of those matches while tallying a draw in three and losing one. Meanwhile, with ten victories and just one defeat in their previous sixteen games, Massimiliano Allegri and his squad are virtually unbeaten. The Old Lady has won five of their last six games and only tied one, demonstrating their formidable play in this part of the campaign.

Betting Tip

The SBOTOP Serie A 2023 betting odds have this match closely priced, even though these teams differ in current form and are separated by a good margin in the league table.

With this, Juventus, as only the slight favourites at 2.05, poses immense value, as they have been on a different level of play in their last five matches. Meanwhile, Monza are reasonably priced at 3.25 as the slight underdogs, while the draw price is at 3.30. Juventus are having a great start to their 2023–24 campaign in the Italian top-flight, staying undefeated in the month of October and so far in November, and I personally don’t think Monza will be the team to disrupt the Old Lady’s groove.

Another line worth considering is Asian Handicap Juventus, -0.25 at 1.77. Juventus have been modestly dismantling their opponents this season, and they have been out for blood ever since their stunning loss against Sassuolo last month. Since then, their wins have mostly averaged with a lead of one goal, which is why -0.25 at 1.77 is a safe yet exciting line to consider.

 

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