Serie A

Serie A is one of the top leagues in the world, boasting giants of the European game such as Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus slugging it out at the top. Recently, the league has been dominated by Inter, who, under the leadership of Roberto Mancini and then Jose Mourinho have won the league for the past four seasons, and look set to do so again this year.

Juventus are the most successful Italian team, having won the Scudetto 27 times, and finished as runner-up a further 21 times. Serie A has historically been seen as a more defensive league than the English Premier League or the Spanish La Liga, with Italian clubs and the Italian national team putting a greater emphasis on defensive solidity as a basis for a successful team.

As in England and Spain, the top four clubs in the league qualify for the Champions League, and historically Italian sides have done well in Europe, with AC Milan being the last Italian side to win it, in 2007. Despite this one  recent success, Italian influence in Europe is waning, with England’s ‘Big Four’ and Real Madrid and Barcelona of Spain starting to dominate European competition more and more. Only Roma have reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League in the last two seasons, and many of the Italian sides have been comprehensively beaten by opposition from Spain and England.

Currently Inter are eight points clear at the top of Serie A, and they look to be a shoo in for the title. Inter can be backed at a best price of 1/9 to retain their title, with their closest rivals being AC at 14/1. Roma are a short way behind at 16/1, while Juventus are having a terrible season and are at 200/1 for the title.

All UK bookmakers offer odds on Italian football matches as well as outright betting, and the Italian market is generally popular. However, it seems that the quality of the Italian league is fading, with Italian teams not challenging in Europe, and star players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Kaka leaving for Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Serie A outright betting odds

Serie A match betting

Italian match betting previews