Napoli vs Roma – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

Antonio Conte’s side begins the weekend a full nine points off the summit. The Giallorossi have lost four of their last six away matches in the league.

Napoli Form

Napoli’s last ten matches have seen just three wins. Across their last 14 matches, it’s just two defeats though. After a number of dropped points in Serie A of late, they’re nine points off Inter Milan and look certain to surrender their Scudetto crown.

Napoli could only draw 1-1 at ten-man FC Copenhagen in the Champions League before a 3-0 defeat at Juventus. They let a 2-1 lead slip to lose 3-2 to Chelsea before successive wins. They beat Fiorentina 2-1 and won 3-2 at Genoa thanks to a 95th-minute penalty. In midweek, they drew 1-1 with Como but exited the Coppa Italia on penalties.

Napoli Team News

Winger David Neres and midfielders Billy Gilmour, Kevin De Bruyne and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa are all absent. Options are limited in most departments for Napoli.

Scott McTominay missed the midweek match but could recover in time to start this match. Giovanni Di Lorenzo is out for the next eight weeks but Amir Rrahmani is available again after injury issues.

Napoli Motivation

Napoli need a win here to keep any vague title hopes alive. Antonio Conte has been moaning about his side’s injuries and refereeing decisions, and needs a win for his own sake.

Napoli will try to attack and to dominate possession. They lack options on the bench, so it won’t be easy to turn around any deficit in this match.

Roma Form

Roma sit fifth in Serie A, but they’re level on points with fourth place and just three points off Napoli. Their last seven matches have seen three wins, two losses and two draws. On the road, it’s four losses in the last six on their travels in Serie A. A 3-2 home loss to Torino saw AS Roma go out of the Coppa Italia.

They won 2-0 at Torino in the league five days later, and beat Stuttgart 2-0 at home in the Europa League. After a 1-1 draw with AC Milan at home, they drew 1-1 away to Panathinaikos as they secured a top eight League Phase finish anyway. After a 1-0 loss at Udinese, they beat Cagliari 2-0 last Monday with a 15-3 shot count.

Roma Team News

Coach Gian Piero Gasperini has five injury worries ahead of this trip to Naples. Defensive midfielder Kouadio Koné has missed the last three matches and remains a major doubt.

Artem Dovbyk is ruled out up front and fellow striker Evan Ferguson has missed four matches and will need a late fitness test. Young forward Robinio Vaz and veteran winger Stephan El Shaarawy are set to miss out.

Roma Motivation

Roma have a chance to go level with Napoli if they win this match. However, their away form is poor and a draw would feel like an excellent result here.

Gasperini’s side likes to attack but they can also drop into a solid back five and absorb pressure.

Key Stats

• Pirates have won 11 of their last 13 PSL matches
• Orlando Pirates have kept 7 clean sheets in their last 8 matches
• Marumo Gallants have lost their last 5 matches
• Marumo Gallants have lost their last 4 away matches vs Pirates

Verdict

Roma are poor on the road and don’t have a good record in this fixture. I see Napoli eking out a win but conceding a goal.

Best Bet: Napoli win at 2.30

Value Bet: Napoli win and both teams to score at 3.45