Italian Serie A:Catania vs Inter Milan

Italian Serie A
            2010-03-12 – Catania v Inter Milan
            Sports Betting Preview by Gooner
            Catania v Inter Milan
            Football : Italy : Serie A
            Friday, 12th March 2010 – Kickoff 7:45pm

            Catania (15th) Home : 4-5-4 15:11

            Catania have been in a good run of form at home, with three wins and
            two draws in the last five games, and the Rossoblu will be looking
            forward to giving Inter Milan a bit of a test in the Friday night
            game.

            The home wins over Bari, Parma and Bologna have finally given the
            home fans something to cheer about, but Catania are still sitting
            precariously in 15th place, with only 4 home wins in 13 games, and
            Inter Milan are a far stronger test.

            Catania have some history with Inter Milan, as sporting director
            Pietro Lo Monaco has had a major row with Inter boss Jose Mourinho
            while current Catania manager Sinisa Mihajlovic is of course a
            former Inter Milan player.

            Catania Team News :
            Ezequiel Llama has been ruled out for the rest of the season due to
            injury and so Jorge Martinez should replace him up front – which
            could mean quite an attacking formation for Catania.

            Nicolas Spolli is suffering from illness, and if he’s ruled out then
            Christian Terlizzi will play. Pablo Alvarez will be back in defence
            following a week of suspension.

            Probable Catania Team :

            Andujar
            Alvarez, Silvestre, Terlizzi, Capuano
            Izco, Biagianti, Ricchiuti
            Mascara, Maxi Lopez, Martinez

            Inter Milan (1st) Away : 7-4-2 25:11

            This is a tricky fixture for Inter Milan who have been wobbling just
            a little over recent weeks, and who will face up to a trip to
            Stamford Bridge next week to take on Chelsea.

            Inter remain top of the table but the gap back to city rivals AC
            Milan is now just four points – with Roma a further three ponints
            back.

            Still, Inter were held to their 4th draw in five league games last
            weekend, a 0-0 home stalemate with Genoa and although manager Jose
            Mourinho says that he’s not worried – it’s not great form as the
            side moves into the “business end” of the season.

            Mourinho will not be on the sidelines as he is still serving a
            suspension but he doesn’t think it’s a problem – “If the team plays
            well and with the right attitude, there is no need to have the coach
            on the bench to win”.

            Inter have won 7 of 13 away games – no Italian side has won more
            this season – and it’s that strength that is carrying the Nerazzurri
            to another Scudetto title.

            Inter Milan Team News :
            Inter Milan will get Esteban Cambiasso back after suspension, and he
            should lead the midfield in Sicily.

            Walter Samuel is banned so Ivan Cordoba will replace him. Davide
            Santon should start on the left while Samuel Eto’o and Mario
            Balotelli are in competition for a shirt up front.

            Probable Inter Milan Team :

            Julio Cesar
            Maicon, Lucio, Cordoba, Santon
            Zanetti, Cambiasso, Stankovic; Sneijder
            Eto’o, Milito

            Head to Head

            All the h2h signs point to a very probable win for Inter Milan.

            Inter Milan have won the last 7 league encounters against Catania,
            including the last three at Stadio Massimino – and all three away
            games were won by a margin of at least two goals.
            THe Betting Verdict :

            Inter Milan have not won for a while, ands the timing for this game
            is tricky, but it seems as if they might meet a Catania side that
            has defensive weakness and the home side might have to attack.

            That plays right into the hands of Jose Mourinho, who is a counter
            attacking tactical expert, and I expect Inter Milan to take
            asdvantage and leave with all three points.
            The Statistics :
                  CATANIA LAST SIX HOME FORM
                  DATE   RESULTOPPOSITION
                  2010-02-27 W4-0  H v Bari 
                  2010-02-14 D0-0  H v Atalanta 
                  2010-01-31 D1-1  H v Udinese 
                  2010-01-23 W3-0  H v Parma 
                  2010-01-06 W1-0  H v Bologna 
                  2009-12-13 L0-1  H v Livorno 
                  INTER_MILAN LAST SIX AWAY FORM
                  DATE   RESULTOPPOSITION
                  2010-02-28 W2-3  A v Udinese 
                  2010-02-14 D0-0  A v Napoli 
                  2010-02-10 D1-1  A v Parma 
                  2010-01-16 D2-2  A v Bari 
                  2010-01-06 W0-1  A v Chievo 
                  2009-12-13 D1-1  A v Atalanta 

                  HEAD TO HEAD CATANIA v INTER_MILAN
                  DATE   HOME SCORE   AWAY
                  2009-01-28   Catania   0-2  Inter_Milan  
                  2008-02-10   Catania   0-2  Inter_Milan  
                  2007-02-25   Catania   2-5  Inter_Milan  

            The Pick :
            Catania 0-2 Inter Milan

            PERCENTAGE ESTIMATE :
            Catania 19% – Draw 28% – Inter Milan 53%

            FIXED ODDS BETTING :
            I’ll take INTER MILAN to win at a good price – I think that Inter
            need all three points – and that the “Chelsea” factor has been
            overdone in the odds.