Napoli will host top-four chasing AS Roma at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, hoping to consolidate their place atop the table.
Napoli, who face AS Roma next, continue to cruise at the top of the Serie A charts with yet another convincing win. After a thorough thrashing of Juventus at home, Luciano Spalletti went to Salernitana and got the three points courtesy of a two-goal victory.
Between those two fixtures, Napoli were knocked out of the Coppa Italia on penalties by ten-men Cremonese, but Spalletti won’t care too much. His side is sitting pretty at the summit of the Serie A table with a 12-point advantage over the second-placed side and reigning champions AC Milan.
🔝 With 276 wins, Luciano Spalletti is now the coach with most Serie A victories in the three-point era!
👏 Congratulations, coach!
💙 #ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/DZSgYYycHc
— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli) January 22, 2023
Goals from Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Victor Osimhen on either side of the half-time whistle sealed the points for Spalletti’s men. They now entertain Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. Statistically, any team that has reached this stage with 50 points has gone on to win the Scudetto, with Napoli firm favourites to end their 33-year-old title drought.
Mourinho will remain wary of the threat Spalletti’s men pose in their quest to finish in the top four. Roma are sitting in fifth, level on points with fourth-placed Inter Milan, who are ahead on goal difference. The AS Roma manager will remain wary of Napoli’s recent record against his side, especially at San Paolo.
Mourinho is known to have superior records against his adversaries, but not Spalletti. The Portuguese tactician has only managed a single win against the Napoli boss in their five meetings. The Roma coach will hope his team has the mettle to churn out a result here, something they have been doing regularly this season without any real fluency or efficiency.
Team News & Tactics
Napoli
Luciano Spalletti will be delighted to have Khvicha Kvaratskhelia back in training after a bout with illness. Barring that, the Napoli manager does not have any form of concern about injuries or suspension. The Italian may prefer Mario Rui at left-back, meaning another game for Mathias Olivera on the bench.
➡️ Gearing up for #NapoliRoma
💙 #ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/Yy8MCUzexm
— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli) January 27, 2023
Meanwhile, with Kvaratskhelia’s return, Eljif Elmas will return to bench duties, as the Georgian will become a part of the frontline. Other than that, Spalletti will only make minimal tweaks.
Kim Min-jae and Amir Rrahmani will marshall the central defence as usual, with Rui and Giovanni Di Lorenzo as full-backs. Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa will sit on the right side of midfield, with Stanislav Lobotka and Piotr Zielinski taking up the other two positions.
Victor Osimhen will continue to lead the line for Napoli and look to add to his tally this season. Kvaratskhelia and Matteo Politano, who could replace Hirving Lozano, will complete the front three for the home side against Roma.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Kim, Rui; Anguissa, Lobotka, Zielinski; Politano, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia
Roma
Mourinho will have to contend with at least four potential absentees. With the uncertain future of Nicolo Zaniolo, the attacker may sit out as he negotiates a transfer away from the club amid interest from Tottenham. Georginio Wijnaldum, Ebrima Darboe and Seki Celik are all absent, with the latter through a suspension.
Mourinho could bring Leonardo Spinazzola in place of Celik as a left wing-back, with Nicola Zalewski on the right flank. Bryan Cristante and Nemanja Matic could complete the central midfield sandwiched between the full-backs.
Gianluca Mancini, Chris Smalling and Ibanez will form a back-three setup for Roma ahead of Rui Patricio, who will remain between the sticks. Up front, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Paulo Dybala will play the attacking roles behind central striker Tammy Abraham, who hopes to add more goals to his game.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Patricio; Mancini, Smalling, Ibanez; Zalewski, Cristante, Matic, Spinazzola; Pellegrini, Abraham, Dybala
Key Stats
- Napoli have won 14 of their last 15 matches in Serie A.
- Napoli have scored at least two goals in seven of their last eight matches in Serie A.
- Napoli are undefeated in their last six matches against Roma in all competitions.
- Roma are undefeated in their last six matches in Serie A.
- Roma have scored at least two goals in their last three matches in Serie A.
Player to Watch
Victor Osimhen
In the 125-year history of the Italian top-flight, no African player has ever finished the season as the competition's top scorer. 👀
Victor Osimhen can change that this season. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/pZW8xsjrp7
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) January 21, 2023
The Nigerian international is a man in focus around Italy as he cannot stop scoring for Napoli this season. Osimhen scored his 13th goal against Salernitana and his fourth in the last three games. He is spearheading Napoli to end their 33-year-old title drought and will be a crucial man against AS Roma, against whom he got the winner in the reverse fixture.
Of all strikers to have reached double figures across Europe’s top five leagues, only Erling Haaland (1.32) has a better average goal-per-game ratio than the Nigerian (0.87). Hence, against AS Roma, Osimhen will have a huge role to play if Luciano Spalletti’s men desire another victory to maintain their march at the summit.
Prediction
Napoli 3-1 AS Roma
Jose Mourinho has a single victory in five games when facing Luciano Spalletti. And the Napoli boss may extend that record on Sunday. AS Roma have not found joy against Napoli in recent years, particularly at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. Moreover, they need to be in a position to match their table-topping counterparts.
Considering Napoli’s form, it is safe to assume they will score at least two goals. They have managed to net at least two strikes in seven of their last eight games. And Spalletti’s men, especially with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia back in the team, will enable that once more. Hence, Napoli could run away with three points against AS Roma and remain firmly at the top.
