Serie A: Lazio Next for Rampant Napoli

Napoli vs Lazio

The runaway Serie A league leaders welcome Lazio for a Friday night festival of football in Naples, but the fourth-placed visitors will be hell-bent on wrecking their hosts’ party.

Napoli fans are daring to dream and, with an 18-point lead with 14 games to play. Surely, it is becoming a case of ‘when’ not ‘if’ Luciano Spalletti leads the Azzurri to their first Scudetto since 1990.

The Serie A 2023 betting odds say it’s a done deal.

Meanwhile, Lazio are fourth, trailing the two Milan clubs and trying to hold off Roma and Atalanta, with Juventus starting to appear in the rearview mirror. Had the Old Lady not been docked 15 points as a punishment for financial irregularities she would be in second place and Lazio would be fifth.

But Maurizio Sarri’s I Biancoceleste must take advantage if they are to win a coveted Champions League place. Anything other than a defeat at the Stadio Diego Maradona would be a great result for Lazio, but that is one big test!

Talking Points

Vic and Khvic are the best in the business

Spalletti’s side has won the last seven games in all competitions and the last five without conceding a goal while scoring 12, and they come into the game on the back of three consecutive 2-0 away victories, including one in their Champions League clash with Eintracht Frankfurt.

This is a team bursting with confidence and two of the best players on the planet, on current form.

Striker Victor Osimhen is well in control of the race for the Capocannoniere with 19 goals, six ahead of Inter’s Lautaro Martinez. The Nigerian ace has scored 21 goals in 25 games in all competitions and his strike in the victory over Empoli last week was his ninth consecutive Serie A goal. He says: “This is the best season of my career. I feel great mentally and physically and I hope to carry on like this.”

He’s been dogged by injury in recent campaigns but the future looks bright for this world-class hitman.

And he has another gem alongside him in the shape of the Georgian attacking midfielder, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who tops the Serie A assists list with nine, while also scoring ten goals in the league. A 10m Euro signing from Dinamo Batumi, ‘Kvaradona’, as the Napoli fans call him, could be the bargain of the decade.

Lazio’s defence is world-class

So this will be a fascinating battle between one of the best attacking sides in Europe and one of the toughest defences to breach. I Biancoceleste are unbeaten in four games, since a 2-0 reversal against top-four rivals Atalanta, and their defence has achieved four clean sheets since that defeat.

The shutout against Sampdoria last week was their 13^th in the league this season, one more than Napoli. Lazio have registered 17 clean sheets from 34 games in all competitions and only Manchester United and Barcelona have had more clean sheets in Europe.

Sarri will have to make once change as Nicolo Casale has accumulated enough yellow cards to warrant a ban. He will be replaced by Alessio Romagnoli, who has recovered from a thigh strain, and he will line up alongside Patric in the center of defence, with Adam Marusic and Manuel Lazzari on the flanks.

Midfield general Sergej Milinkovic-Savic will protect the defence while supporting the attack. He has made eight assists and alongside Mattia Zaccagni, who has eight goals and four assists, and Luis Alberto, who scored Lazio’s winner against Sampdoria last week, this makes up an effective midfield unit to back up the front three, led by nine-goal Ciro Immobile.

This is a strong side which will test the leaders for sure, but past performances are not in Lazio’s favour.

History

Napoli have won 24 of the last 49 encounters with Lazio, while the Albiceleste have won 16 and there have been nine draws.

The Azzurri have won the last four, including a 2-1 win at the Stadio Olimpico early in the campaign, and they are unbeaten at home to Lazio over the last eight meetings.

Add to that a home record of ten wins and a single draw this season, and it would be one of the big Serie A 2023 results of the campaign if the hosts fail to win this top-four clash.

Betting Tip

At SBOTOP odds of 1.54 to win Napoli’s bandwagon is expected to roll on, with the draw at 3.74 and Lazio at 4.64 to win.

This is another serious test for the heirs to the Italian crown, but I think they will pass it to make it 22 wins from 25 and bring that long-awaited Scudetto even closer.

 

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