Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma will host faltering defending champions Napoli at Stadio Olimpico for a Serie A Saturday night showdown, with both teams eager for three points.
A blockbuster encounter between ailing giants Napoli and AS Roma is perhaps the fitting way to sign off Saturday’s feisty Serie A schedule, with both southern sides trailing behind the top four and separated by just two points in the Italian top-flight standings.
AS Roma clinched qualification from Group G of the Europa League and will be looking to go one better this season after reaching the final last time out. But things are not going according to plan domestically. Jose Mourinho’s side travelled to Bologna last weekend looking to get back to winning ways after playing out a 1-1 draw with Fiorentina.
However, they head into Saturday’s clash off the back of a 2-0 defeat at Bologna, as they were second-best throughout the encounter, with Jose Mourinho’s infamous low block unable to stop the fluid attack of Thiago Motta’s side.
The result was not ideal in terms of their top-four bid. But it was Roma’s first defeat in six matches across all competitions (W3 D2). They have also made Stadio Olimpico a fortress this term and are unbeaten in their last nine home matches across all competitions (W8 D1).
On the other hand, Napoli’s disastrous season took another horrific turn in midweek when they got blown out 4-0 at home by Frosinone in the Coppa Italia. It was a much different side for the Neapolitans, who struggled to keep up with their visitors and finished with only two shots on goal.
Already 14 points off the pace in Serie A, Wednesday’s Coppa Italia exit means Napoli’s chances of silverware this season now look realistically grim. They did claim a 2-1 victory over Cagliari in their previous Serie A fixture, and manager Walter Mazzarri will be keen to channel some positivity into his squad ahead of Derby del Sole on Saturday.
Team News & Tactics
AS Roma
AS Roma will again be without the services of English duo Tammy Abraham and Chris Smalling. But long-term absentee Marash Kumbulla could be back on the bench after sitting out the first half of the season with an ACL injury. Attacking midfielders Houssem Aouar (adductor) and Paulo Dybala (thigh) are also doubtful due to their respective injury problems.
Gianluca Mancini, Diego Llorente, and Evan Ndicka will form a back-three setup for AS Roma ahead of Rui Patricio, who will remain between the sticks. Bryan Cristante, Leandro Paredes, and young Edoardo Bove will look to hold down the fort in an intriguing battle in the middle of the park.
Having missed the defeat to Bologna through suspension, Romelu Lukaku is set to make his return upfront alongside Stephen El Shaarawy on Saturday. The Belgian striker is the leading scorer for AS Roma this season with seven Serie A goals, and he will look to add to his tally against Napoli. Returning from his own one-match ban this weekend, Poland international Nicola Zalewski will also feature in wide areas.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Patricio; Mancini, Llorente, Ndicka; Kristensen, Cristante, Paredes, Bove, Zalewski; El Shaarawy, Lukaku
Napoli
Walter Mazzarri will be without the services of left-back Mathias Olivera on Saturday due to a knee injury. But Leo Ostigard and Mario Rui overcame respective problems that kept them out of training in previous weeks to start in the midweek cup exit.
Fringe players such as Giovanni Simeone, Alessandro Zanoli, Jesper Lindstrom, and Gianluca Gaetano were all handed starts on Wednesday and could drop out here after failing to impress, with some established stars set to come back into the starting XI.
Skipper Giovanni Di Lorenzo and first-choice shot-stopper Alex Meret will be among those restored to the defending champions’ starting lineup. The midfield trio of Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Stanislav Lobotka, and Piotr Zielinski should be involved from the outset after missing the Coppa Italia loss to Frosinone.
But Eljif Elmas remains out of commission for the foreseeable future due to a thigh injury. Finally, Victor Osimhen will lead the line for Napoli. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Matteo Politano, who will replace Lindstorm, will complete the front three for the visitors’ clash against Roma.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Natan, Rrahmani, Rui; Anguissa, Lobotka, Zielinski; Politano, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia
Key Stats
- Napoli are unbeaten in all of their previous seven straight meetings against AS Roma in all competitions.
- However, the Giallorossi have picked up 25 points from their last nine home fixtures across all formats.
- Napoli have failed to record a single clean sheet in any of their last five Serie A appearances.
- Three of Roma’s last four encounters at Stadio Olimpico have ended with both teams finding the net.
- Roma have avoided defeat in six of their last seven competitive matches (W3 D3).
Player to Watch
Victor Osimhen
The 2023 African Footballer of the Year, Victor Osimhen, is undoubtedly among the best strikers in the world. The Nigerian scored a whopping 31 goals in 39 appearances last season, and despite Napoli’s inconsistency and regular injury difficulties this season, he has held his own, scoring eight goals in 16 games.
He has proven that he can score goals and has the ability to provide assists and bring the best out of players around him, coming up with an outrageous assist to win Napoli the game against Cagliari last weekend. With Walter Mazzarri’s side struggling for form, Osimhen could well be the man to dig them out of the hole here.
Prediction
AS Roma 1-0 Napoli
AS Roma have wind in their sails, as their recent home form has been impeccable. The visitors have been struggling to assert their supremacy, and new coach Walter Mazzarri has not been able to lift their fortunes.
With Napoli crashing out of the Coppa Italia earlier this week thanks to a 4-0 thrashing at home against Frosinone, AS Roma can pile more agony on the waning champions by edging a low-scoring encounter and overtaking their southern rivals in the Serie A standings. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-0 win for Jose Mourinho and his charges.