Saturday 06/09/2014, 19:00, Italy Serie B, Round 1 Brescia vs Livorno

Brescia vs Livorno Betting Preview

The Italian first division will resume one week from now, but the Serie B has already begun and Brescia will take on Livorno in the first round. The two teams are trying to return to the first league, with Livorno being one of the newly relegated squads. Back in the day, they used to compete in Serie A and they still have the squad to make a successful run, but it is essential to start on the right foot.

Brescia vs Livorno Betting Odds

At Bet365

Brescia 2.25, Draw 3.10, Livorno 3.40

Brescia vs Livorno Betting Tips

Livorno was clearly outplayed by the best Italian teams last season and it came as no surprise that they failed to avoid relegation. A new season has begun and most of their players are still with the team, which means that they should be one of the better formations in Serie B.

Home pitch advantage used to be huge for Livorno, but on the road they never score too many goals and the starting formation features a single striker. Galabinov and Jeffe are the two options for manager Gautieri, with the Bulgarian being recently transferred from Avellino while the Brazilian used to play for Latina. They have plenty of experience with Serie B games and should prove an asset for Livorno.

Tonigh only Galabinov is expected to play in the first half, but if the score takes a turn for the worse, he might be joined by Jeffe. By comparison, Brescia will be using its standard formation featuring two offensive players, Caracciolo and Corvia who have paired up for most of the games in 2013.

The former is by far the most successful striker for Brescia and will be the recipient of most of the balls tonight, as the hosts are aiming for all three points. They've won most of the games in front of their fans last season and settled for draws on the road, a strategy that they plan on using again this season.

Key Facts

• The visitors have the better head to head record, as they denied Brescia a chance to win at least once in a total of 12 games
• Livorno lost nine of the last 10 games played in Serie A and haven't won an official match in six months.

Brescia vs Livorno Betting Prediction

Tradition favors the visiting team, but it's been a while since the last direct match, with Brescia being clearly on an uptrend. Livorno will try to avoid defeat in the opening game of the Serie B campaign, but the hosts will be aiming for all three points and will feature an offensive starting formation. 2.25 is great value for a home win and at the time of writing, Bet365 offers the best odds.

Bet: Brescia @ 2.25 with Bet365