Napoli – Lazio

Lazio travel to Naples in search of points

Napoli suffered a heavy defeat in the Champions League. On Wednesday, Napoli faced Porto away and ran into problems from the opening minutes. The Portuguese side took the lead in the 11th minute through Bednarek. Napoli equalised towards the end of the half, but that was as good as it got. From the 70th minute onwards, the hosts scored three times, humiliating Allegri’s side. Napoli also failed to win in the previous league round. Napoli faced Juventus in Turin and kept a clean sheet in the first half. As against Porto, their problems began in the 70th minute. Goals from Alajbegovic and Boga gave the Turin side a comfortable three points. Lazio continue their winning run. In the previous round, Gattuso’s side hosted Cagliari at the Olimpico. The Rome side were the first to create chances and the first to concede. In the 20th minute, Nzola put Cagliari ahead. The lead for Pisacane’s side did not last long: in the 36th minute, Isaksen equalised with a fine strike. Lazio came out fired up for the second half. The hosts began to press for a goal from the opening minutes, but their breakthrough came towards the end. In the 83rd minute, Pinamonti secured victory for Lazio with a precise header. Last season, the teams traded away wins. The meeting at the Diego Armando Maradona ended in a 0:2 victory for Lazio. Napoli won by the same score at the Olimpico. In the last five meetings, Napoli have won only once. Lazio have won three times, and one match ended in a draw. Gattuso’s side have been phenomenal away from home. Lazio have won all five away matches, with an aggregate score of 3:14. After the match in Portugal, the press reported on the morale of Napoli’s players. De Bruyne and Lorenzo Lucca had a verbal altercation while still on the pitch, and after the match Politano openly hinted at disagreements between foreign and local players. Højlund also publicly criticised the team and the coach. Overall, the recent results are unlikely to be having a positive effect on the squad. Lazio are not playing in European competition and have therefore spent the whole week preparing for this match. The team are clearly better prepared for the match, both mentally and physically. Double chance X2 (Lazio or draw) is available at decent odds.