Juventus overcame a sluggish first-half display to kick off the defence of their Italian Serie A crown with a 2-0 victory at home to Parma on Saturday.
A pair of quick-fire goals shortly before the hour from Stephan Lichtsteiner and Andrea Pirlo proved the difference between the sides, after Arturo Vidal had seen a first-half penalty saved.
Juventus have not lost in the Italian Serie A since May 15, 2011 and their unbeaten run now stands at 24 victories and 16 draws, which is a record in the Italian top flight.
The champions’ preparations were nonetheless seriously undermined when coach Antonio Conte was handed a 10-month ban for failing to disclose information about match-fixing during his time at Siena in the 2010-11 season.
In his absence, Massimo Carrera has been promoted to take control of first-team affairs on match days but he saw his charges make an uncertain start to proceedings at Juventus Stadium.
Largely devoid of inspiration, the hosts managed to win a penalty in the 33rd minute when Lichtsteiner was fouled by visiting goalkeeper Antonio Mirate, but Vidal’s spot-kick was saved.
Things improved after the interval, and Lichtsteiner gave Juve the lead in the 55th minute when he converted a cut-back from the excellent Kwadwo Asamoah, who was making his Serie A debut after a close-season move from Udinese.
Pirlo, star of Italy’s run to the Euro 2012 final, made it 2-0 with a low free-kick three minutes later, although Parma’s players protested that the ball had not crossed the goal-line.
The margin of victory could have been more handsome had Sebastian Giovinco shown more accuracy with a right-foot shot in the 68th minute.
The diminutive playmaker caught the eye against the club he left to rejoin Juve in the summer – for his third stint at the Turin club – but he had to leave the fray due to injury in the 80th minute.
Jonathan Biabiany had twice gone close for the visitors early in the first half, while Parma substitutes Ishak Belfodil and Sotiris Ninis threatened in the game’s final quarter.
In the first match of the Serie A, Fiorentina came from behind to beat Udinese 2-1 thanks to a brace from Montengrin attacker Stevan Jovetic, who claimed his decisive second goal in injury time.
Third last season, visitors Udinese appeared visibly tired after their mid-week trip to Portuguese side Sporting Braga for the first leg of their Champions League play-off tie, which saw them emerge with a 1-1 draw.
They are the current leading soccer tipsters in this month competition. See also tipsters rankings.
13ulisse
posts a 1X2 tip on Cooma Tigers vs Canberra Olympic just now |
|
13ulisse
posts a Over / Under tip on Lambton Jaffas vs Valentine just now |
|
13ulisse
posts a Over / Under tip on Cooma Tigers vs Canberra Olympic just now |
|
kmagom
posts a In-Play 1X2 tip on Consadole Sapporo vs Shonan Bellmare 6 minutes ago |
|
kmagom
posts a In-Play 1X2 tip on Consadole Sapporo vs Shonan Bellmare 6 minutes ago |
|
13ulisse
posts a Over / Under tip on Consadole Sapporo vs Shonan Bellmare 11 minutes ago |
|
argy78
posts a 1X2 tip on Avondale Heights vs Green Gully 1 hour and 1 minute ago |
|
frank_senso
posts a In-Play Last Team to Score tip on Peru U20 W vs Argentina U20 W 1 hour and 5 minutes ago |
|
frank_senso
posts a In-Play Half Time / Full Time tip on Manningham United U23 vs Dandenong City U23 1 hour and 7 minutes ago |
|
frank_senso
posts a In-Play 1X2 tip on Manningham United U23 vs Dandenong City U23 1 hour and 10 minutes ago |
Upcoming football matches with excellent head to head records over their opponents.
Auckland City vs Western Springs |
Sign in to view more football matches.
Football clubs who play better for their home games H2H.
Parceiro Nagano vs Giravanz Kitakyushu |
Sign in to view more football matches.
Football clubs that play well for their away games.
Ehime vs Ventforet Kofu |
Sign in to view more football matches.
Motivated teams after winning five matches in a row or they have maintained a ten-match unbeaten run. The bookmakers label them as favourites for a reason.
Teams in crisis after five consecutive defeats or they did not win their last ten football matches. You should avoid betting on these underdogs.
Teams having a draw in the last five matches.
Teams that have not lost at home matches.
Abia Warriors |
Sign in to view more football teams.
Teams that have not won at away matches.
Abergavenny Town |
Sign in to view more football teams.
This tipsters ranking is based on single picks excluding doubles and multi accumulators. For the full ranking click here.
Tipsters with consecutive winnings in their recent predictions.
Tipsters whom have lost a few matches in a row. Bad luck you call it.
I like soccer punter because it's free, enjoyable and no risk taking, you just give out your predictions without any charges,also it gives rewards to its members and upgrade them to platninum levels.
From as little as $1 per soccer tip.
|
Arbitrage is an effective way to make guaranteed profits without losing your money.
Analyze soccer matches, inclusive of past results, head to head stats, today match fixtures, live soccer odds, players and team form.
Check the latest and fastest live score results for all football matches. Know who are the goalscorers, yellow card and red card offenders.
Read up these useful tips for soccer betting.
Get the listings of soccer leagues and competitions for each region, including past seasons results and football statistics.
Want to bet on a match today? Check out the list of today match fixtures.
Read MoreGet the match results for all the soccer matches around the globe. Inclusive of half-time, full-time results.
Read MoreAre you an expert in soccer betting? Join SoccerPunter Tipsters competition to challenge against the top football tipsters and win prizes!
Read MoreCopyright © 2002-2024 SoccerPunter Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved.
Be the first to comment: