Written by Shahan Ahmed
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The best Two Teams in Serie A: Juve & Napoli

Napoli was the last team to beat Juventus. After an undefeated 2011-12 season in Serie A, Juventus lost 2-0 to Napoli in the Coppa Italia final. Thus, Napoli placed a noticeable blemish on Juve’s spectacular season.

With apologies to every other team in Italy, the best two sides in Italy are Napoli and Juventus. Inter is better than last season, and Lazio is off to a strong start, but the two teams that are a shoulder length above the competition are Napoli and Juventus. Roma, Udinese, and Milan have already displayed that they are not in the running for the Serie A this season, and making it to Europe may even be a challenge for these traditional challengers.

Last season, Napoli was, arguably, the second best team in Italy despite finishing fifth in the table. The strains of Champions League got the better of the team from Naples. This season, Napoli is undefeated with 6 wins in 7 matches, and the bright lights of Champions League are no longer shining.

Juve is also undefeated with 6 wins in 7 matches this season. However, this time around, Juventus is in the Champions League with a focused eye on Europe’s most prestigious trophy. Truthfully, Juventus is the best team in Italy by some distance. However, with the Champions League draining the Old Lady’s energy and taking away her focus, Napoli may be able to nick its first scudetto since Diego Maradona brought the Serie A title to Naples during the 1989-90 season.

Juve and Napoli did meet earlier this season in the Italian Super Cup in Beijing. That match featured Napoli ahead 2-1 before Arturo Vidal leveled for the team from Turin in the 73rd minute. Although the final score would be 4-2 to Juve, that result came due to Napoli receiving two red cards in stoppage time and conceding twice in extra time. Currently, Napoli and Juventus are side by side in the table, and the Super Cup proved they’re not far apart on the pitch. Who will win on Saturday will go a long way to deciding who will win the Serie A this season. Considering the last two times these teams met, this is one not to miss.

Director’s Picks: October 19, 2012

Last weekend, our Director of European Football didn’t make picks due to the international break. The four weeks prior, Mr. Ahmed was 8-2, bringing his overall season record to 10-6. On the season, he’s given followers +603 units of profit. This week, he’s back with a free pick and one-members only pick. If you’d like to see his previous Director’s picks, click on ‘Soccer’ in the box on the upper right of this page. If you’re a member, sign in now and see both Director’s Picks. If you’re not a member, join now & Try AccuScore Free for 7 days!

Free Pick: Fulham vs Aston Villa : Over 2.5 Goals at 1.909

AccuScore’s computer is 7-0 picking totals with Fulham this season, and every time, the computer has picked the Over. AccuScore is 2-2 picking totals with Aston Villa on the road this season. With rumblings that both Dimitar Berbatov and Mdalen Petric may be fit in time, AccuScore’s computer gives this game a 67% chance of seeing 3 or more goals. Considering I’m going off trends in this pick, not much else to say. I’ll take the Over.

There’s one more pick, so log in now or try membership now!

2. Atletico Madrid vs Real Sociedad: Atletico Madrid at 2.170

Atletico Madrid is even on points with Barcelona, and this is no fluke. Atletico is the real deal, and Madrid’s other team has the best pure striker in La Liga, if not the world. Falcao, alone, is worth this value. Current odds have Atletico at 45.2% to win, and AccuScore’s computer puts Atletico’s chances at 55.7%. So, that means the computer believes there is value on picking Atletico, and I fully agree.