Lazio vs. Napoli: Serie A Match Preview, Odds & Prediction

First up this week in the riveting Serie A championship chase is Saturday's match between Napoli and Lazio at Stadio Olimpico.

Having lost twice to Lazio this season, the league leaders go to Rome to face Juventus in the Derby d'Italia. Inter Milan, their Scudetto opponents, will play Juventus.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Last Saturday, Lazio maintained their coveted position in the top four of Serie A with a 5-1 home victory against Monza. Pedro scored twice, and top scorer Taty Castellanos also found the back of the net.

Just a few days ago, Castellanos scored as his team won all three points at Cagliari. With two consecutive wins, they are now just one point behind Juventus for the last Champions League spot.

Although Bologna, Fiorentina, and AC Milan are hot on their heels, the Biancocelesti are determined to dine at Europe's top table. They breezed through the Europa League's first round and are candidates to take that title later this season.

After losing their last five home games in Italy's top division, including a loss to Monza, who will be playing in Serie B, they cannot afford to lose any more points at Stadio Olimpico.

This is the third match in as many days for Marco Baroni's squad, and they've already beaten their opponents twice in December—3-1 in the Coppa Italia and 1-0 in Naples, thanks to a goal from Gustav Isaksen.

Indeed, if Lazio were to do the same thing this coming Saturday, they would break a 30-year-old record by defeating Napoli three times in a single season.

Not only did Napoli lose in the cup match at Stadio Olimpico, but they have also lost all four league matches between these southern rivals in a row.

Still, they have an outstanding record while playing in Rome versus Lazio, winning eight of the past eleven meetings between the two teams.

After a winless start in February, Antonio Conte's side will be looking to break through this time around. With 14 games left to play, Inter has cut their advantage to one point.

Napoli lost to mid-table Udinese at home after a seven-game winning streak, after which Roma denied them a last-second goal at the Olimpico. After taking the lead via Scott McTominay, the Bianconeri came storming back and held on for a 1-1 draw.

With 55 points, the Campanian team is in fourth place all-time after 24 games, which is ten points lower than Napoli's total from two years ago, when they won the Scudetto.

Like with his previous teams, Conte has grumbled about not having enough mid-term additions. Despite this, his team is still in the hunt to prevent Inter from winning consecutive championships, and a win over Lazio would put them four points clear.

Lazio x Napoli Team News

Injury to forward Boulaye Dia derailed Lazio's otherwise good match against Monza; Pedro and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru are ready to step in for Dia if he is unable to recover.

Marco Baroni has three new additions who were benched last weekend: Arijon Ibrahimovic, Reda Belahyane, and Oliver Provstgaard out, with Matias Vecino, Patric, and ex-Napoli full-back Elseid Hysaj.

Captain Mattia Zaccagni has scored twice and assisted once in his last three home games against Saturday's opponents, supporting Taty Castellanos up front.

Antonio Conte is considering his options after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's midseason departure to PSG and David Neres's muscle injury in Napoli's tie with Udinese rendered him out until March.

While Leonardo Spinazzola is out with an injury, Noah Okafor, who is on loan from another club, can play a more central role. Giacomo Raspadori, an Italian international, might start a Serie A match for the first time since August.

Partenopei's right defender and captain, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, will play in his 200th league game. Defensively, Alessandro Buongiorno is set to start after a lengthy rest. Therefore, Juan Jesus might go to the left.

With eight goals—including four in a single match—against Lazio, his father's previous club, striker Giovanni Simeone ranks highest among current Serie A players. But with just two goals since the beginning of the season, Romelu Lukaku is still the clear favorite.

Our Predictions

Lazio to win @ 2.70 on Sky247.ng

These two clubs have the most points in the league from goals scored after the 75th minute; thus, a surprising turn of events is likely.

Antonio Conte's championship aspirations would be harmed if Lazio, the new nightmare team for their visitors, wins three in a row and ends Napoli's nine-game undefeated run.

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