Both Napoli and Roma scored four goals in midweek UEFA Champions League wins but their contrasting form in Serie A means Saturday’s hosts at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona could be in for a tough evening.
Max Allegri eased a little of the pressure building on him with a 4-3 win over regular giant-killers Bodo/Glimt, but last week’s 1-0 defeat to previously winless Venezia will not have been forgotten by a Napoli fanbase who expect so much more from their side.
Things are going much better in the capital, and Gian Piero Gasperini will be confident that his Roma side can get the victory which would see them move to the Serie A summit - even if only briefly, with Lazio in action later on Saturday.
Napoli v Roma Tips Summary
Best Bet - Roma to win @ 13/8
Alternative Bet - Under 2.5 goals @ 10/11
Bet Builder - Matias Soule 1+ shots on target, Kevin De Bruyne 1+ shots on target, Rafa Marin to commit 2+ fouls @ 29/4
Napoli v Roma Prediction
Best Bet: Roma to win @ 13/8
Having won three in a row at the Maradona, Napoli will be hoping home advantage proves the deciding factor when they host in-form Roma.
Beating Bologna, Frosinone and Bodo is much easier than taking down one of Serie A’s early pacesetters, however, and Gasperini’s Giallorossi can show their quality in Naples.
Napoli were beaten on home soil by Como and Arsenal before their three-game win streak, highlighting their struggles against better teams, while Roma have been defeated by only Real Madrid since 10th April.
The only teams to take points off Roma in this season’s Serie A are champions Inter and a talented Como. Napoli are not at the level of that pair and look set to be outclassed by their visitors.
Alternative Bet: Under 2.5 goals @ 10/11
In bad news for the neutral, Allegri has not had a late-career epiphany and suddenly changed his tactics.
Do not be fooled by the 4-3 win over Bodo - the Norwegians forced Napoli out of their shell - Allegri will set up in his usual defensive manner on Saturday.
Roma should have enough to prevail but they may not be at their free-flowing best as key men Paulo Dybala, Manu Kone and Lorenzo Pellegrini miss out through injury.
Expect a low-scoring victory for the visitors as a result.
Napoli v Roma Bet Builder Tip
- Matias Soule 1+ shots on target
- Kevin De Bruyne 1+ shots on target
- Rafa Marin to commit 2+ fouls
Pays 29/4
Roma will need some extra output from Donyell Malen’s supporting cast in Dybala’s absence - luckily Matias Soule has been performing at an excellent level all season.
The Argentinian is averaging 1.96 shots on target per match in this season’s Serie A and should register another goal-bound effort as Napoli sit deep.
At the other end, Napoli will be hoping for some more magic from Kevin De Bruyne.
The Belgian legend missed a penalty in last week’s woeful loss to Venezia but he has managed six shots on target in his last five games for club or country and is looking more accustomed to his more advanced role in the front three with every passing match.
De Bruyne’s teammate Rafa Marin is likely to have a less positive effect on proceedings.
Malen is back from suspension and Marin has the unenviable task of keeping tabs on the pacey, six-goal Roma forward. Having committed nine fouls in seven Serie A starts, it is hard to see the Spaniard doing so without getting rough.
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Key Match Stats
- Roma have won 10 of their last 12 Serie A games
- The capital club are also unbeaten in 16 league matches
- Napoli have lost five of their last nine games
- Roma are unbeaten in seven away games, winning five
- Under 2.5 goals has been a winning bet in three of the last four head-to-heads
- Only one of Roma’s last five away matches has featured more than two goals
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
