Betting Tips for Today

Juventus open the second half of the season at home and after reacting quickly to the draw against Lecce, Cremonese arrive in unconvincing form. In Reggio Emilia, Juve took an early lead and practically did not allow Sassuolo into the match, which was underlined by Jonathan David’s goal for 3:0 and the end of his Serie A scoring drought. Under Luciano Spalletti, eight wins have come from the last ten matches across all competitions, and a run of 13 Serie A home games unbeaten provides a solid foundation for collecting further points in the battle for a top-four finish. History is also clearly on their side, as Cremonese have lost all eight of their Serie A visits to Turin and have taken only four points from the last 17 head-to-head league meetings, including a 2:1 home defeat earlier this season. Although the visitors ended a near-400-minute scoring drought against Cagliari through goals from Dennis Johnsen and Jamie Vardy, they subsequently squandered a two-goal lead and have now failed to score in three consecutive away matches. Despite the uncertainty over Francisco Conceicao and the absences of Vlahovic, Rugani and Gatti, the difference in form, squad quality and home strength points towards a Juventus victory.

In the Cypriot league, second-placed Pafos with 34 points rely on an exceptionally strong home record, having won six of their seven league matches at the Stadio Stelios Kyriakides. Their most recent official match in the cup against Akritas Chlorakas ended in a 2:1 victory and the numbers show that the team are capable of controlling games. In the league, Pafos have a record of 11 wins, three defeats and one draw from 15 matches, with a goal difference of 31:12 confirming both attacking productivity and defensive solidity. Omonia Aradippou are tenth with 17 points and their seasonal data point to difficulties especially in the attacking phase. Although the most recent cup thriller away at Olympiakos Nicosia ended in a 4:3 win, away results have been inconsistent and three defeats have come from their last six league trips. Given Pafos’ perfect record in all six previous head-to-head meetings and the clear difference in consistency, the expectation is that Pafos will confirm their status as favourites and claim another victory.

In Riyadh, a direct clash at the top of the table takes place and Al-Hilal can pull further clear at the summit, as they enter the match on the back of ten consecutive league victories and an overall run of 18 wins in a row. Against Al Hazem, this was once again confirmed by goals from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Ruben Neves and Darwin Nunez, while the team have remained unbeaten at home since the September draw with Al Qadsiah. At the same time, it is a fixture that recalls last season’s warning, when Al-Nassr won the corresponding meeting 3:1, so concentration will be essential. The visitors, however, arrive in a downturn, having taken only one point from their last three league matches and conceding seven goals in that period, which highlights sudden defensive frailties. Al-Hilal will be without Kalidou Koulibaly and Bono due to their Africa Cup of Nations commitments, while Al-Nassr are missing Sadio Mane and also Mohamed Simakan and long-term absentee Sami Al-Najei. Even so, given the current stability of the leaders and the influence of Neves, Al-Hilal are expected to edge past a side that still features Cristiano Ronaldo and secure the win.