Hellas Verona vs. Roma 9/19/20 Serie A Soccer Pick, Odds, and Prediction

Hellas Verona is hosting Roma at Marc Antonio Bentegodi in round 1 of the new Serie A season.

Verona has been solid last season, and they have ended in a surprisingly high 9th place in the standings with 49 points, 47 scored goals, and 51 conceded goals. In the preseason, Verona has 1 win and 1 loss, alongside 4 scored goals, and 4 conceded goals. There are no injuries or suspension in Verona as of right now. Tameze, Gunter, Ruegg, Pandur, Badu, and Benassi have all arrived at Verona in the offseason. Marrone is the only notable player that has left the team. Ivan Juric has remained the head coach in Verona for this season as well. Verona is the defensive team, and whoever they play against, Verona is focusing on the defending and the counter-attacks. Verona has had only 12 wins last season alongside 13 draws, and 13 losses. I don’t think Verona can repeat the accomplishment from the last season. I think Verona will be close to the relegation zone this season, and their defense will not be enough for the better result. I don’t think Verona will have a problem in staying outside the relegation zone, but they will not be anywhere near the Europa League.

Roma was outstanding last season, and they ended in 5th place with 70 points, which means Roma will be playing in the Europa League this season. With 77 scored goals last season, Roma was one of the best offensive teams in Serie A, while their defense could use some improvement because Roma has conceded 51 goals. In the preseason, Roma has won 2 games, while 1 game ended in a draw. During this stretch, Roma has scored 10 goals while conceding 5 goals. Zaniolo, Perotti, and Peres are all injured, and they will miss the beginning of the new season. Roma has improved in the offseason with Veretout, Mancini, Perez, and Pedro, while Florenzi, Schick, Defrel, Kolarov, and Gonalons all left the team. The latest speculation is that Dzeko will leave Roma for Juventus, while Milik should arrive from Napoli, but those transfers are yet to be confirmed. Roma is continuing this season with coach Fonseca, and there is no reason to change that because Fonseca was doing a fantastic job with this team. I’ve repeatedly said last season how much I like Roma, and that hasn’t changed. Roma is continuously improving their roster and their game, and with a little bit more focus on the defensive end, Roma can reach the Champions League this season. Roma will be playing in the Europa League this season, a competition where they reached the Round of 16 last season.

The trends are heavily on Roma’s side in this matchup. Verona hasn’t won any of their last 4 games against Roma, while Roma hasn’t lost any of their last 6 away games. I’m picking Roma on the road at the start of this new Serie A season.