Italian Serie A betting preview – Napoli vs AC Milan

AC Milan travel to Naples tonight hoping to build on their recent momentum. The visitors have won their last two games, including a victory at Real Madrid, after an appalling start to the season which saw them take one win from their first seven games and a 4-0 loss to rivals Inter. Napoli can tell a similar tale, winning two of their first seven but winning their last two in a row to sit in ninth place, two points below the famous visitors.
Milan go in as slight favourites for this game at 8/5 (bet $50 to win $80 profit), leaving Napoli as underdogs at 21/20. The draw is priced at 23/10 and two of Milan’s last three visits to Naples have ended honours even, including their most recent contest in March.
Tonight’s match is seen as being very close by the bookies, who have made 1-1 the most likely score at 6/1. 1-0 to Milan is at 7/1 and 1-0 to Napoli is 15/2. 2-1 to the visitors is 9/1 and a 0-0 draw, the result last time the two played, is priced at 17/2.
Alexandre Pato, Milan’s twenty year-old striker who scored the winner against Real Madrid earlier this month, is favourite to open the scoring tonight at 6/1. Following Pato is Filippo Inzaghi at 7/1. However, The veteran striker has so far failed to score this season in seven appearances. Fabio Quagliarella, Napoli’s twenty-six year-old striker, is 7/1 and their best chance to score the first goal of the game.
Milan are 7/2 to be winning at both half-time and full-time tonight and 5/1 to win after drawing at half-time. Both halves to be drawn is at 4/1, along with Napoli to be winning at half-time and full-time. For fans of comebacks, Napoli/Milan is 33/1 and Milan/Napoli is at the same price.
The visitors are third favourites to win Serie A this year at 16/1 despite a start which leaves them in sixth place and already seven points adrift of leaders Inter. Napoli are not seen as contenders for the title at 400/1 but will aim for a spot in the top four and a possible place in Europe.