Serie A Betting : Inter & Roma Renew Annual Cup Clash
Coppa Italia Final Betting Preview – Coppa Italia Final (May 24)
Serie A betting may be over for another season, but there is one piece of Italian soccer silverware still up for grabs. The format of this year’s Coppa Italia may have changed, with a single game final, replacing the traditional two-legged affair, but the contenders remain the same. For the fourth consecutive season, Roma and Inter Milan do battle for the Italian Cup in Saturday’s showpiece game.
Inter & Roma Renew Annual Cup Clash
Inter Milan and Roma have developed a monopoly on the Coppa Italia, appearing in the final for four consecutive years. Things are however a bit different this time around. The competition only included the 42 teams of Serie A and B, not the third tier of Italian football, and the final is a single game rather than the traditional, if unusual, two leg affair. Crucially the final takes place at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, which is also Roma’s home ground, handing them an important territorial bonus, reflected in the Asian Handicap at PinnacleSports.com which has Roma 1.787 (0/scratch)* and Inter Milan 2.170 (0/scratch)* to lift the trophy – a market priced to less than 102%.
The two sides have vied all season for the Scudetto, which went down to the final day of the season, when Inter’s 2-0 victory at Parma gave them the title. Both goals came from Zlatan Ibrahimovic who came off the bench to effectively secure the title, and hand the Nerazzurri a huge psychological advantage going into this game. Though the odds were always against Roma catching their rivals, they managed to close an 11 point gap to just one, before falling short on the final day.
Roma coach, Luciano Spalletti, now has the difficult task of lifting the heads of his side, following the disappointing draw at Catania on the final day of the campaign, which given Inter’s win was academic. The Giallorossi are the defending champions, having won the trophy last year by an aggregate of 7-4, winning 6-2 in the capital, but the reduction of the final to just a single game will inevitably change the nature of the game.
After his dramatic introduction at Parma, Ibrahimovic is likely to start up front, giving Inter the attacking threat they have missed during the Swede’s absence. Roma will be without talismanic captain, Francesco Totti, recovering from surgery, instead relying on the goals of Montenegran, Mirko Vucinic. PinnacleSports.com price Roma favourites 1.694 (0/scratch)* in 90 minutes, with Inter 2.340 (0/scratch)*.
OK, so PinnacleSports.com may well have the Asian Handicap betting odds wrapped up but as far as 1X2 betting goes, when this blog was posted, top rating online sportsbook Bet365 once again cruised in with the best odds at 2.40 (7/5)* for a home win (AS Roma to beat Internazionale Milano). Aussie bookie CentreBet offered 3.20 (11/5)* for an away win to Inter Milan. The draw was sitting at around 3.00 (2/1)*.
*All odds subject to change so check out the latest Coppa Italia odds Live at BookieLabRat.com here.
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Add comment May 23rd, 2008