We had winning betting preview on the website yesterday, one full win(Thun v Lausanne – Super League) and a half win(Shanghai Shenhua v Guangzhou Evergrande – Super League). We will be adding a couple of them today, so stay tuned for more!
Crotone don’t have any definite absentees, but Martella is rated as doubtful due to a muscle complaint, potentially leading to a slight weakening at left back. If he’s okay they’ll be at full strength and Nicola could name their strongest XI, with four new signings likely to be in from the start, including Izco and Budimir. There’s competition for a place at left wing between Stoian and Nalini. After the joy of staying up on the last day of last season, Crotone are thrown straight back in at the deep end with a very tough game against a revamped Milan side, with far greater resources than themselves. Having a +1 handicap as the home side shows the level of their task on the opening weekend and they would be delighted to avoid defeat, adopting a cautious approach and looking to frustrate. As Crotone’s form picked up at the end of last season, although they tried to grind out results, more of their wins actually came when a 2.75 goal line was broken. They are likely to find it tough to score versus a Milan side with an improved defense though, and getting a result will be very hard, with it not being a surprise to lose to nil. In that case, it may depend on how many goals Milan get.
Milan are without four players, three of which would’ve likely started if available, as the absence of Romagnoli, Biglia and Bonaventura sees them short of full strength. A strong XI will still be in place though, with them strengthening well over the summer, and Conti, Musacchio, Rodriguez, Kessie, Calhanoglu and Andre Silva look set to make their Serie A debuts for the club. Following a summer of big spending and strengthening, Milan looks like a much formidable prospect than they have been in recent seasons and they travel to Crotone looking for a win. They’re capable of beating the -1 handicap and may well be the sharper outfit, having started their season early given their Europa League qualification involvement. They’ll push in a bid to collect all three points. Quality is on Milan’s side, while although they only kept four away clean sheets last season, they have strengthened defensively and are capable of keeping Crotone out. They won’t stop looking for goals if 1-0 up, but with a 2-0 lead their focus could turn to game management. If they go behind though, the 2.75 goal line will likely come under serious threat, as they try to turn things around.
Verdict & Prediction
There is a really positive feeling at Milan going into the new season, with the investment over the summer improving the team and squad and putting them in the frame to be challengers at the top once again. They’ll be hungry to keep the positive feeling going and look to get off to a winning start. A victory is the only outcome that will truly satisfy Montella and his side, but it’s important that they are fully focused and don’t show any signs of complacency. Crotone will still be on something of a high after dramatically escaping relegation last season, but Milan will travel with confidence. Milan are likely to have match sharpness on their side having played in Europa League qualifiers over the summer, with them beating Shkendija 6-0 at home on Thursday night. That gives them less time to prepare for this game, but they go into the season opener on a high.
Prediction: AC Milan -1.00 Asian Handicap
Odds: 1.84 SBOBET
