Siena Betting preview

Excellent play in the second part saw Siena escape towards the midtable

Once again Toscana side managed to stay in Serie A… Year after year they have been struggling in the elite; the club from a small town with limited finance was a branch of Juventus but even in the calciopoli period when older brother were occupied with their own problems, Siena managed to stay in the elite. Excellent play at home against big teams during spring led them to safety. Mario Beretta did a great job but he didn't extend his contract so Marco Giampaolo will take his place on the bench next season. Siena couldn't have brought an expert with more potential; he was replaced in Cagliari without reasons last year, later on he refused to get back on the bench. He is highly appreciated in the coaching scene, although he is only 41; he had an early debut on Ascoli bench. However his career on Toscana bench didn't kick off great; couple of days ago he said that he was disappointed with the transfer window and asked form the club to get more back-ups. Bianconeri lost their first-choice keeper Mannigero, De Ceglie is back in Juventus, excellent Loria left as well as experienced Locatelli. Practically, each line of the team lost one standard player. Back-ups are not impressive; there are good players but it takes time and luck to compose it into a harmonious squad. So far the transfer window can barely pass as good, and Siena are one of the rare teams that seem weaker than last year.

Back-ups are not impressive

Manninger, who made an excellent impression, chose to be Juventus reserve keeper which forced the management to hire Roma reserve Curci... This player was quite promising but we are sceptical about his further growth. He hasn't got enough experience to hold on the pressure of the first league. As for the players that could work as starters right away we must mention Columbian Zuniga but each South American player needs time to adapt…He has a difficult task to replace Loria who was the pillar of the back line. The rest of their acquisitions are pretty vague; the striker Calaio in Napoli never managed to get back in old form, so all eyes will be on Massimo Maccarone… Locatelli is also gone, the creativity will be reduced to minimum. Few other players arrived like Baruso, Belmonte who are yet to prove their quality but all of this is not enough to replace four starters. Toscana side are still working on some names like Domizzi from Napoli or Eposito from Roma but signing them would be too difficult of a task for Siena.

In

Baruso (Roma), Curci (Roma), Brandao (Belenenses), Belmonte (Bari), Zuniga (Atletico Nacional), Calaio (Napoli)

Out

Manninger, De Ceglie, Bertotto, Locatelli, Chiesa, Loria

Our tip

Siena will fight to survive but with less chance than last year. Of course, they shouldn't be underestimated, they usually take more points away; however except for couple of teams we can't see anyone weaker in Serie A this season. Perhaps few new back-ups can change this impression, for example Chievo seemed week but few days ago they signed three excellent players so their stocks went up. Perhaps this is the way to go for Siena. They will hardly succeed in repeating the last year's result; each one of the players who left was practically irreplaceable last year and in the situation where you don't have enough money it is hard to find an alternative on the market. Giampaolo is an excellent coach but he has truly taken a hot potato with the promise that the team will be reinforced. So far, it didn't happen. Each result that doesn't imply struggling to survive will be a great one for Siena

Our tip: Doni to score more than Marazzina 2.00
Odds 2.00
Bookmaker: Bet365