Italian Serie A starts this weekend and one of the most exciting duels we’re gonna see is the one taking place on Saturday evening at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico. That is the place where Lazio will try to put an end to Napoli’s dominance in their head-to-head duels, which has been going on since 2015 when “I Biancocelesti” won the last time. Can they do it? Check out this Lazio vs Napoli match preview to find out!
Lazio
Despite losing De Vrij on a free transfer this summer, Lazio did manage to keep most of their key players in the squad. In fact, the only other big-name player they lost is Felipe Anderson, who went to West Ham for a bit over 40 million Euro. Lazio used that money to bring in several very talented players so they now seem more than ready to start their new Serie A campaign.
The transfer of Joaquin Correa from Sevilla was made to replace Anderson, while Francesco Acerbi was brought from Sassuolo as a replacement for De Vrij. Perhaps Acerbi isn’t as famous as the Dutchman, but he definitely knows how to take care of defensive duties. In fact, Acerbi used to be a key player for Sassuolo for more than four years, during which he featured in more than 30 games each season.
Apart from making a few good signings, Lazio also managed to persuade some of their key men to stay in the club for at least another season. I’m talking about Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who’s rumored to be a transfer target of many heavyweight teams, including Juve and Real Madrid. It’s a similar case with Luis Alberto and Ciro Immobile, both of whom decided to stay put.
Napoli
Unlike Lazio, Napoli had some big turmoil this summer. Maurizio Sarri, the man who was in charge of Napoli since 2015, left for Chelsea, taking with him one of the best midfielders currently on the planet, Brazilian Jorginho. Pepe Reina also left the club, same as Duvan Zapata and Leonardo Pavoletti.
The new manager of Napoli, Carlo Ancelotti, had to strengthen his squad heavily in order to get them ready for the new season. And it seems he did a very good job. Although he didn’t sign any big stars, he did bring in some very promising prospects who seem capable of helping Napoli fight for a place in the Champions League.
Some of those players include Fabian Ruiz, who came from Real Betis, goalie Alex Meret who joined Napoli from SPAL, and ex-Bologna attacker, Simone Verdi. With these players in the team, Napoli do seem pretty tough. Unfortunately for their fans, many of their rivals have strengthened their squads even more, so ending the season near the top of the table is going to be a challenge. In order to achieve it, Napoli will have to give their utmost in every single game, including the one against Lazio this weekend.
Team News
Lazio absentees
- Ricardo Kishna (injury)
Napoli absentees
- Amin Younes (injury)
- Faouzi Ghoulam (injury)
- Alex Meret (doubtful)
- Piotr Zielinski (doubtfl)
Possible Lineups
Lazio
Strakosha – Caceres, Acerbi, Radu – Lucas Leiva, Parolo, Milinkovic-Savic, Lulic, Correa, Alberto – Immobile
Napoli
Karnezis – Koulibaly, Albiol, Hysaj, Rui – Diawara, Allan, Ruiz, Hamsik – Mertens, Verdi
Lazio vs Napoli Match Prediction
It’s not going to be an easy game for neither side, even though both will hope for a win. In my opinion, the most likely outcome is a draw, but we’ll probably see lots of excitements before the referee blows the final whistle. So, betting on BTS also seems like a good option.
Lazio vs Napoli Betting Tips
- Draw @ 3.50 (William Hill)
- BTS @1.56 (Unibet)