Napoli will host AS Roma in a Serie A fixture on Saturday evening, with both teams looking to maintain their push for a European finish.
The Neapolitans have been out of sorts for much of the season and have now officially been dethroned as Serie A champions after Inter Milan clinched the title in midweek.
It has been an awful title defence by the Neapolitans, as they currently sit in eighth place in the table, five points off the European places.
The Partenopei have struggled for much of the season, and their form does not appear to be getting better. The hosts are limping towards the finish line, and their 1-0 loss to Empoli last time out added another blot to a run of just one win in five Serie A fixtures.
Roma, meanwhile, are coming off a 2-1 win over Udinese, which kicked off in the 72nd minute after being abandoned two weeks earlier due to Evan Ndicka’s collapse. That was a crucial win for the visitors after they suffered a 3-1 defeat to high-flyers Bologna last time out.
They are still in fine form, as a run of four wins in five matches suggests. The arrival of Daniele De Rossi at the hotseat has worked wonders, as Roma have lost just twice across their last 14 matches, winning ten and drawing two.
With a four-point gap to Atalanta, the Giallorossi are currently in the fifth and last spot for Champions League qualification, although La Dea have a game in hand.
The capital club claimed a 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture back in December, and will be more than pleased with a similar result here.
Team News & Tactics
Napoli
Defender Mathias Olivera is missing this weekend through suspension as they welcome Roma down to Naples on Sunday evening.
Napoli’s defence should seem more familiar this week now that Amir Rrahmani and Mario Rui have returned from one-match suspensions, after Francesco Calzona was forced to be creative with his selection call at Empoli.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Natan will marshall the full-back slots as usual. Powerhouse midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa will sit on the right side of midfield, with Stanislav Lobotka and Piotr Zielinski taking up the other two positions.
An attacking trio of Victor Osimhen, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Matteo Politano is set to start once again as well.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Ostigard, Juan, Natan; Anguissa, Lobotka, Zielinski; Politano, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia
Roma
Roma will have more than half an eye on Thursday’s Europa League semi-final first-leg showdown with new German champions Bayer Leverkusen, but Daniele De Rossi may opt against rotating his side too much, with European football for next season on the line.
Diego Llorente and Leandro Paredes’ suspensions could force two changes from the side that faced Bologna, though, while Chris Smalling and Romelu Lukaku are also doubtful due to injuries.
Evan Ndicka could return to the fold after successfully recovering from the incident that saw Roma’s game against Udinese postponed.
With Smalling and Llorente unavailable, Juventus loanee Dean Huijsen could deputise in central defence alongside Gianluca Mancini. Angelino and Rick Karsdorp will be the full-backs, with Eduardo Bove, Bryan Cristante, and Lorenzo Pellegrini forming the midfield trio.
Paulo Dybala is the leading scorer for Roma with 12 Serie A goals and could be the one to watch on Sunday. If Lukaku cannot lead the line, either Sardar Azmoun or Tammy Abraham will be supported by Stephan El Shaarawy.
Probable Lineup (3-5-1-1): Svilar; Karsdorp, Mancini, Huijsen, Angelino; Bove, Cristante, Pellegrini; Dybala, Abraham, El Shaarawy
Key Stats
- The Neapolitans have conceded the opening goal in five of their last six matches across all competitions.
- Roma have a 21-17 advantage with 13 draws from 41 previous matches against Napoli.
- Napoli have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 14 games.
- Eight of Napoli’s last ten league games have seen both teams score goals.
- Roma’s last three matches have seen goals from both teams.
- Roma have failed to keep a clean sheet in eight of their last ten away league games.
Player to Watch
Victor Osimhen
Despite not being at his best this season, Victor Osimhen remains the leading scorer for Napoli with 13 Serie A goals. The striker has also scored in two of the last three meetings with Roma and will need to click up top if Napoli are to beat Roma on Sunday.
His physicality and lethal finishing have made him one of the most feared strikers in world football.
Prediction
Napoli 1-2 AS Roma
The hosts’ recent record at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona has been awful, with only one win in their past six games.
Napoli’s defeat to Empoli was devastating for both the previous year’s champions and their European hopes. They now face the possibility of missing out on European qualification entirely if things do not improve.
The victory over Udinese gave Roma a new lease on life, and they will look to pile on their misery with an away win in Naples.
