Cesena vs Novara
Football : Italy : Seria A
Venue: Stadio Dino Manuzzi, Cesena
Sunday 15th January – Kickoff time: 15:00 GMT+1

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Cesena (19th W-3 D-3 L-11)

Cesena will be hosting Novara, another team in difficulty, in a match that could be decisive in both side’s quest to avoid relegation this season.

After registering a disastrous start of the season, not being able to win any of the first 10 games, Cesena showed some signs of revival at the end of November, period in which they’ve managed to win three games out of four.

Unfortunately for them, the good form didn’t last for long and they are now back to their losing ways, suffering three consecutive defeats against Inter (home), Atalanta and Udinese (away). I have to add that they’ve been eliminated from the Italian Cup as well.

Despite taking the lead in Napoli, Cesena were not able to keep the advantage and a late Goran Pandev strike clinched the in the quarter finals for the Sicilians.

Cesena managed to sign former Bologna defender Vangelis Moras, but he is unlikely to feature in this match. Left-back Lauro is serving a ban, so Rossi should fill the spot.

Probable Cesena line-up :

Antonioli
Comotto, Rodriguez, Bergen, Rossi
Parolo, Guana
Ceccarelli, Candreva, Mutu
Eder

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Novara (18th W-2 D-6 L-9)

Novara on the other hand is likely to use both fresh signings, striker Giuseppe Mascara from Napoli and Danish midfielder Daniel Jensen.

Despite Novara only won two games this season, their new striker Giuseppe Mascara believes that he can help pull the club clear from relegation danger, starting with the match against Cesena.

The stats however are not on their side, Novara being the worst travelling side from Seria A, with only 2 points collected from 8 games. Novara lost their previous three games on the road without scoring.

With the signing of Mascara, the “biancoazzuri” improved on their attacking compartment, but the main issue so far was their defense, conceding 32 goals in 18 matches, only Lecce have shipped more this season.

Probable Novara line-up :

Ujkani
Paci, Dellafiore, Centurioni
Morganella, Jensen, Radovanovic, Rigoni, Gemiti
Caracciolo, Mascara

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The Betting Verdict

These two collected an equal number of points so far, 12, and as the gap between the relegation zone and the 17th place is starting to build up, this match may be decisive for both teams.

This match will probably not be a memorable one, neither team is likely to take unnecessary chances. Cesena didn’t make the most of the home advantage this season, only pleasing their fans with one victory (2-0 vs Genoa), the only match in which they’ve scored more than one goal.

This clash is likely to be decided by a personal effort, so I expect Adrian Mutu to step up and earn his huge salary. I’m not sure how Mascara could improve Novara’s offensive play at his first match there, but he is for sure a reason of concern for Cesena’s defense.

The Statistics :

The Pick :

Cesena 1-0 Novara

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Take Cesena to win at 2.03 at Pinnacle
Confidence: 7/10