Serie A is Italian football’s top professional league and it is home to some of Europe’s most historic and successful clubs, including AC Milan, Internazionale, Juventus, Roma, Lazio and Napoli. It is a competition that includes fierce rivalries, iconic footballers, interesting tactics, great managers and die-hard supporters.
Crucially, the league also has genuinely unpredictable outcomes, with four different teams winning the title in the past six seasons, making it an exciting league to bet on, with the potential for big wins. In this article, we take a closer look at how to work with Serie A betting odds to give yourself the best chance of winning some money.
Serie A Explained: Italy’s Top League
Serie A is one of the most popular football leagues in the world and is home to some of Europe’s most successful teams. It is the highest level of Italy’s football league system and the league itself consists of 20 teams. The league operates a round robin format, with each team playing each other twice: once at home and once away.
Teams are awarded three points for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for a defeat. Each team will play a total of 38 games over the course of the league season and the team with the most points wins the league.
Traditionally, the biggest clubs in Italy are:
- AC Milan
- Juventus
- Internazionale
- Roma
- Lazio
- Napoli
- Fiorentina
These teams are collectively known as the “sette sorelle” or “Seven Sisters”.
Understanding Betting Odds for Serie A
Whether you are completely new to betting or have previous experience, it can be a good idea to make sure you have a clear understanding of betting odds. With bookmakers, like Sportsbet, odds may be presented in a number of formats:
Decimal Odds
Decimal odds are commonly used in Europe and are perhaps the easiest format to understand. You simply multiply your stake by the decimal to calculate your return. However, decimal odds include your stake in the return.
So, for example, you may see the odds on a Serie A game like:
AC Milan: 1.5
Fiorentina: 5.5
Draw: 4.0
If you bet £5 on AC Milan to win and they do so, your earnings would be:
£5 x 1.5 = £7.50
As your winnings calculation includes your stake, the actual profit from your bet would be £2.50.
Moneyline Odds
Moneyline odds, sometimes called American odds, are the most popular format for displaying betting odds in the United States. The format is based on the idea of betting £100 on a given bet. A plus or minus is used to show favourites and underdogs. A minus indicates the favourite and a plus indicates the underdog.
For example, for Serie A odds, you could see the following:
Juventus: -200
Udinese: +200
For underdog odds, the number shows how much profit you would make if you wagered £100. So, in the above example, a successful £100 bet on Udinese would result in you making a £200 profit.
Since you bet £100, your total return would be £300, including the stake.
For bets on the favourite, the number indicates the amount you would need to bet to make a £100 profit. So, as Juventus are listed as the favourites to win, with -200 odds, you would need to bet £200 to make a £100 profit.
Fractional Odds
Fractional odds are commonly used in the United Kingdom and show you only the profit related to the stake. They are written using a Profit / Stake format.
Take the following example:
Roma: 2/1
Internazionale: 6/4
Draw: 12/5
The 2/1 for Roma means you win £2 for every £1 you wager if Roma win the match.
The 6/4 for Internazionale, meanwhile, means you win £6 for every £4 you wager.
If you were to gamble the same stake on both outcomes, the return for successfully betting on Roma would be larger. This indicates that they are the underdogs and Internazionale are the favourites for this game.
What Else Can Serie A Odds Tell You?
When you bet on Serie A matches and other outcomes, you will make your decisions based on your own expectations and the betting odds. However, Serie A odds do not necessarily just tell you how much you can win. They will also reveal which team is considered most likely to win. You can then use this information strategically.
Bookmakers set odds by using statistical modelling and complex algorithms to determine what the most likely outcome is. These algorithms may take into account the current form of the two teams, historical outcomes when they have played each other, injuries to key players, the head-to-head records of the managers and a whole lot more.
The way matches are listed will also tell you which team is playing at home and which team is away. The team written first is the home team. Generally, it is accepted that playing at home is an advantage, as the home team are playing in their own stadium, in front of their own fans, and they have not had to travel for the match.
In general, when gambling on Serie A, you want to bet on the outcome you think is most likely, as this will result in you winning money. However, you should also look for opportunities to bet on an outcome that you think may happen, but which the bookmakers have not picked up in their methodologies, as this will maximise your profit.
Sometimes, you may also want to take a punt on an unlikely outcome, because it will have longer odds.
Exploring the Key Rivalries in Serie A
Another thing you should take into account when exploring Serie A betting odds is the existence of historic rivalries in Serie A. These matches take on an extra level of importance and this often means that the form of the teams goes out the window. With these matches, studying historic head-to-head results can take on added importance too.
The Milan Derby is one of the biggest rivalries in football and sees AC Milan play Internazionale. In Italy, this is known as the “Derby della Madonnina”. Both teams play in the same stadium, the San Siro. This is significant because, unlike most other derby matches, there is no need for either squad to travel to a different stadium.
The Rome Derby, known in Italy as the “Derby della Capitale”, takes place between Roma and Lazio. It is considered to be one of the most fierce and passionate derby matches in European football.
The Turin Derby, known in Italy as the “Derby della Mole”, involves Juventus and Torino. Although Juventus are historically much more successful, it is the oldest local rivalry in Serie A and matches are always hotly contested.
Finally, while it is not a local derby, matches between Juventus and Internazionale are referred to as the Derby d’Italia. It is considered a major competitive rivalry between two of the country’s most successful teams.
