Napoli will aim to remain perched atop the Serie A table when they take on Spezia at Stadio Albert Picco on Sunday.
The 2022/23 Serie A season continues this weekend with Matchday 21. Four matches will be on the show on Sunday. And the action on the day will kick off at Stadio Albert Picco, where Spezia will welcome table-toppers Napoli.
Spezia came into the 2021/22 season after a 16th-placed finish last term. So they needed to improve considerably to remain clear of the drop zone in the new campaign. But the Little Eagles have won just four of their 20 Serie A games thus far while failing to find the back of the net in three of their last four games. And things do not get any easier for Luca Gotti’s men this weekend.
As for Napoli, Luciano Spalletti’s men have seemingly learnt from the mistakes of last season. They have lost only one of their 20 Serie A games thus far and sit 13 points clear of second-placed Inter Milan. With the Partenopei showing no signs of letting up, Luciano Spalletti might end a 33-year drought at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium this term.
The reverse fixture saw Napoli remaining patient before beating Spezia with an 89th-minute goal by Giacomo Raspadori. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Spezia
The team is complete 🗺️📍@eshomurodov14 pic.twitter.com/T4OUeoVDgO
— Spezia Calcio English (@acspezia_en) January 30, 2023
Luca Gotti has a new roster issue hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s next fixture. Against Napoli on Sunday, the Spezia manager will be bereft of the services of half a dozen first-team players.
Captain Emmanuel Gyasi is suspended after picking up a booking against Bologna last week. Jeroen Zoet (knee), Viktor Kovalenko (muscle injury), Szymon Zurkowski (hamstring), and Simone Bastoni (knee) are the other players on the sidelines.
Bartlomiej Dragowski picks himself between the sticks in the absence of Zoet. And Spezia will line up in a 3-5-2 formation in front of the Polish goalkeeper. The said back three should see Kelvin Amian, Mattia Caldara, and Dimitrios Nikolaou forming the central defensive unit.
Emil Holm and Arkadiusz Reca should be the two wing-backs. And the duo will provide the width in the final third. But the two wing-backs will primarily sit back to form a back five in the defensive phases. That will allow Spezia to cut out the passing lanes and neutralise the Napoli attack greatly.
Salvatore Esposito and Mehdi Bourabia will likely join Ethan Ampadu in the middle of the park. The trio will look to keep things tight in the centre of the pitch, keeping Piotr Zielinski quiet. Finally, Daniele Verde and new signing Eldor Shomurodov will be the two strikers for Spezia against Napoli.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Dragowski; Amian, Caldara, Nikolaou; Holm, Esposito, Ampadu, Bourabia, Reca; Verde, Shomurodov
Napoli
Luciano Spalletti will feel he and his team can do no wrong right now. Not only are his charges flying high in the Serie A, but they also remain away from the treatment room. And the Napoli manager will have a full-strength squad at his disposal against Spezia on Sunday.
Alex Meret is an automatic pick between the sticks. And Napoli will line up in the usual 4-3-3 formation in front of the Italian goalkeeper. While Kim Min-jae and Amir Rrahmani will pair up at the heart of the defence, Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Mario Rui will be the two full-backs.
🗣 #Spalletti: "We'll need to keep our focus. Regardless of who we face three points are three points"
💙 #ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/rkK7Gf96kG
— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli) February 4, 2023
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa has been the beating heart of the Napoli midfield this season. And the Cameroonian international will be the workhorse in the middle of the park for the visitors. Stanislav Lobotka will sit at the base of the midfield unit, with Piotr Zielinski being the creative supremo.
Victor Osimhen will look to continue his hot streak to keep Napoli comfortably ahead of the chasing pack. The Nigerian international will spearhead the attack against Spezia, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Hirving Lozano being the two wide men.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Kim, Rrahmani, Rui; Anguissa, Lobotka, Zielinski; Lozano, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia
Key Stats
- After winning two of their first three matches against Napoli in Serie A (L1), Spezia have lost their last two games without scoring against the Partenopei. The current table-toppers have won both Serie A matches played at the Picco stadium versus Spezia (4-1 in 2020/21 and 3-0 in 2021/22). And in general, they have won their last six games played in Liguria, including victories over Genoa and Sampdoria.
- Napoli have picked up an average of 2.65 points per match in Serie A this season (a record in the Big Five European leagues in 2022/23). If they maintain this average, they will gain more than 100 points in 38 matchdays (100.7). Only Juventus under Antonio Conte in 2013/14 (102 points) reached triple figures in the tournament’s history.
- Spezia have not scored in three of their last four league games. In general, only Sampdoria (13) failed to score in more games than the Aquilotti (nine) in Serie A this season.
- Under Luciano Spalletti (since 2021/22), Napoli have kept 24 clean sheets in Serie A (only Juventus, with 25 have more). And excluding newly-promoted and relegated clubs, they have conceded the fewest goals in this period (46).
- Giacomo Raspadori has scored three goals in three Serie A matches against Spezia, including his only strike this season for Napoli. One of his three braces in the top-flight arrived at the Picco stadium (5th December 2021 with Sassuolo).
Player to Watch
Victor Osimhen
Osimhen has seen his stock skyrocket after initially encountering teething problems at Napoli. And the Nigerian international is now one of the best strikers in the world. He also has an impressive record in the last four seasons, scoring 51 goals in just 94 league appearances for Lille and Napoli.
Since 2019/20, only Erling Haaland (86) has needed fewer games than Osimhen to reach 50 goals in the Big Five European leagues. So it is hardly surprising that high-profile clubs like Chelsea and Manchester United are among his suitors. For now, Osimhen remains committed to Napoli and the Scudetto chase.
Prediction
Spezia 0-3 Napoli
The match is essentially a David vs Goliath battle, with Napoli streets ahead of Spezia. The league leaders cannot do much wrong right now and continue to inch closer to the Serie A title. On the other hand, the hosts are struggling to find the back of the net, let alone rack up points regularly.
Spezia’s struggles in the front of the goal should continue on Sunday, with Napoli likely to strangle them efficiently. Meanwhile, the visitors should breeze through the proceedings in the final third, with Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia delivering the goods. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-0 win for Luciano Spalletti and his charges.
