Preview
Mr SimpleRight, so we've got Cavese at home against Casarano on 18 October, and if you've been following the Girone C, this one's got a clear shape to it.
Cavese have been in decent shape at home recently. They beat Casertana 2–0 on 3 October and smashed Savoia 4–2 on 26 September, so the last two home games have been comfortable wins. Their home record over 20 games tells the story: 9 wins, 6 draws, 5 losses, averaging 1.65 points per game and scoring 1.4 a match while conceding just 0.85. That's a solid home base, and they've kept 8 clean sheets in those 20 home fixtures.
Now look at Casarano on the road. Over 20 away games, they've managed 6 wins, 4 draws and 10 losses, averaging 1.1 points per game. They score 1.2 a game away but concede 1.35, and they've failed to score in 8 of those 20 trips. Their last five matches have been a real struggle: one win, two draws and two losses, with just 2 goals scored in total. Three of those five saw them go scoreless, and all five finished under 2.5 goals. That's a team that's struggling to find the end of the net.
The head-to-head is a bit dated — the most recent meeting was a 1–1 draw at Cavese's ground back in January, and the older meetings reach back three years. So I'd lean on current form and venue records rather than history here. But what we do know is that at Cavese's ground, the recent meeting was a draw and the older ones saw Cavese win 3–0 and 2–1. The reverse venue at Casarano's ground has no recent meetings to speak of.
The counter-argument? Well, Cavese did lose 2–3 to Sorrento at home on 15 September, and that was with a red card in the 45th minute, so it's not a clean sheet of evidence. And Casarano did draw 0–0 with Salernitana at home on 11 October, which shows they can get a result without scoring. Plus, the recent head-to-head was a 1–1, so it's not like Cavese have been eating them alive in this fixture.
But the overall picture is clear. Cavese are scoring 2.2 a game in their last five, Casarano are managing 0.4. Cavese's home defence is tight at 0.85 conceded per game, while Casarano's away attack is struggling. The numbers point one way.
Key Points:
- Cavese have won their last two home games (2–0 and 4–2) and average 1.4 goals per game at home
- Casarano have scored just 2 goals in their last five matches and failed to score in three of them
- Casarano's away record: 6W 4D 10L in 20 games, with 8 scoreless games
- The most recent head-to-head at Cavese's ground was a 1–1 draw in January
- Cavese's home record (9W 6D 5L) is significantly stronger than Casarano's away record (6W 4D 10L)
The market has Cavese at 2.47, implying about 40% chance. My read is that Cavese are more likely to win than that — I'd put them at around 48%. That's a nice little edge, and the football backs it up. My pick: Cavese home win at 2.47.