Serie A: Napoli and AC Milan Duel at the Summit

Napoli vs AC Milan

The top spot of the Serie A table is up for grabs when Napoli and AC Milan are set for a collision course on Monday night at the Diego Maradona Stadium.

I Partenopei and I Rossoneri are level at 57 points each, although the former has the upper hand for now since they have the superior goal difference.

A game of this magnitude is definitely a must-watch for football fans since this might determine the Scudetto race this season. It was a highly-competitive game when these two sides last met and football fans can expect something similar given the high stakes involved.

The pre-match SBOTOP betting odds agree despite the fact that Napoli are dubbed as the slight favourites since they’ve won during their last meeting.

With that said, Napoli need a win or a draw to maintain their top spot, while failing to win is not an option for AC Milan.

Talking Points

Napoli are all-in in winning the Serie A

Now that they’re eliminated by Barcelona in the Europa League, the main focus for Napoli is to finally win their first Serie A title since 1989/90. And for them to do so, Napoli would need to get as much points as they can in order to fend off the other Scudetto challengers in AC Milan and Inter Milan.

Luciano Spalletti’s men were fresh from a huge test against Lazio last week. Lazio had bad intentions as they were out to dent Napoli’s Scudetto aspirations, but they were unsuccessful.

Lorenzo Insigne scored the first goal but Lazio replied with a goal from Pedro. I Partenopei were in danger to drop points for the third consecutive match, but Fabian Ruiz found the back of the net for a timely stoppage time score.

The said win could be the turning point of Napoli’s campaign since they’ve returned to the top spot and they’re looking to stay there for good.

Compared to before, Napoli now have a healthier squad, but their latest injury concern might prove to be a huge blow for this particular match.

Victor Osimhen’s availability is in question since he hasn’t fully recovered from a knee injury that he sustained against Barcelona recently in their Europa League clash.

Should their top scorer not play, expect Lorenzo Insigne and Fabian Ruiz to lead up front while Matteo Politano will play an ancillary role.

AC Milan need their leaders

AC Milan will look to make up for their missed opportunities recently. They had a chance to claim the solo top spot, but draws against Salernitana and Udinese have held them back.

Other than that, Stefano Pioli faces a lineup headache as two of his key veterans are still unavailable to play due to injuries.

While Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alessio Romagnoli were seen at Milan’s training ground lately, both were only training individually. Ibra is still recovering from an Achilles tendon inflammation that he got in January, while Romagnoli is recuperating from a tweaked groin.

With both of them out, expect Olivier Giroud, Alexis Saelemaekers, Rafael Leao, and Franck Kessie to lead the way up front while Fikayo Tomori, Alessandro Florenzi, and Theo Hernandez will continue to marshal the backline.

History

AC Milan are hopeful that they can end their slide against Napoli in Serie A. Prior to Monday, I Rossoneri have only won one of their last 14 meetings (L8, D5), which was 3-1 away from home on November 2020.

I Rossoneri have yet to win two in a row at I Partenopei’s home pitch in Serie A since 1981, and they can finally do so with a victory here.

Their reverse fixture that took place last December ended in a narrow 1-0 victory for an undermanned Napoli squad as Eljif Elmas gave them the lead for good within the first five minutes.

Betting Tip

Napoli were given the slight edge to win by the latest Serie A 2022 odds. I Partenopei are priced at 2.47, while an AC Milan victory is at 3.40 in the 1X2 market.

With another close affair in the cards, we don’t expect too many goals and Serie A 2022 highlights from this fixture, so going for Under 2.50 @ 1.85 sounds like a decent alternative bet that offers a good payout. Overall, this contest is a tough call and we wouldn’t rule out a win by either side. Given how intense this match is expected to be, it’s highly likely that both Napoli and AC Milan will have to settle for a Draw @ 3.20 after 90 minutes.

 

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