Italian Serie A is by far the most interesting of all Top 5 leagues this season, at least when it comes to the title battle. It’s been a two-horse race between Napoli and Juventus, the team that’s won the league in all the previous 6 seasons. Right now, Napoli have 4 points more, but Juve have played a game less. Another thing that doesn’t go in the favor of Napoli is the fact that their next opponent is AS Roma.
Napoli vs. Roma is a duel that will take place this Saturday evening at Stadio San Paolo in Naples. Who’s gonna win it? Let’s find out in this betting preview! There’s also a betting tip at the end to help you make some money off this game.
Napoli
Napoli hasn’t been this close to winning the championship for many, many years. But, the glory days of the late 80s can return easily if this team keeps on playing well. They’re currently in a really impressive run, with 10 Serie A games won in a row. The enthusiasm is there, especially because Serie A is the only trophy left that they can win this season. Napoli got knocked out by RB Leipzig in the Europa League, while Atalanta got the better of them in Copa Italia, back in early January.
Another big advantage Napoli has in this duel is that they play at their own turn, Stadio San Paolo. With the capacity of over 60k, this stadium is the place where Napoli have always been a tough nut to crack. This season, they’ve won 10 out of 13 possible home games in Serie A, scoring 30 goals along the way.
Speaking of scoring, Napoli is currently the third-most-prolific team in Serie A this season, behind Lazio and Juventus. The difference is not significant, so they may change it even as early as this weekend. Scoring a couple of goals against Roma would not come as a big surprise considering the form of their attackers. Callejón, Mertens, and Insigne scored 8 goals between them in the last 5 Serie A matches, not to mention that Napoli’s midfielders and defenders also have a great scoring record.
AS Roma
AS Roma had a fairly decent beginning of the season, but it all changed in late December. For over two months, this team was without a single win, counting all competitions. They did have a brief period in February when their form started improving, but that lasted only for three matches.
At the moment, Roma’s for seems pretty poor, but the worst thing is that it’s unlikely they’ll be improving it anytime soon. After the game with Napoli, Roma takes on Torino in Serie A, before playing the second part of the Champions League doubleheader with Shakhtar Donetsk.
Napoli vs. Roma Team News
Napoli absentees:
- Vlad Chiriches (injury)
- Faouzi Ghoulam (injury)
- Arkadiusz Milik (doubtful)
AS Roma absentees:
- Rick Karsdorp (injury)
- Luca Pellegrini (injury)
- Maxime Gonalons (doubtful)
- Jonathan Silva (doubtful)
Napoli vs. Roma Possible Lineups
Napoli: Reina – Albiol, Koulibaly, Hysaj, Mário Rui – Allan, Hamsik, Jorginho – Callejon, Insigne, Mertens
AS Roma: Alisson – Fazio, Jesus, Manolas, Kolarov – Nainggolan, Strootman, Florenzi – Perotti, Under, Dzeko
Napoli vs. Roma Prediction
There’s no doubt we’re gonna witness a real battle at Stadio San Paolo as both teams have super-talented players and the desire to win points. Still, it seems that Napoli have the advantage here and if nothing unexpected happens, they should take all three points at the end. We’re likely to see a lot of goals in this duel, probably on both ends.
Napoli vs. Roma Betting Tip
Napoli @1.57
