Lazio vs Napoli: Preview and Prediction
Lazio and Napoli will lock horns on matchday five of the 2022/23 Serie A season on Saturday. This match will be played at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Both teams have had pretty similar starts to their campaigns. Lazio might not be a part of the top six currently, but they are among the six teams who are yet to lose a league fixture this season. They have won two and drawn as many in their first four fixtures.
On the other hand, Napoli also is yet to lose a match. Like their opponents, Gli Azzurri has also won two and drawn two games, but thanks to their healthy goal difference, they are occupying fourth place in the standings.
Current Form
Lazio’s first match against Bologna was a thoroughly entertaining affair, as Maurizio Sarri’s team came from behind to secure a 2-1 win, despite having a player sent off in the 6th minute. The second match against Torino, however, was not half as exciting, as the two teams played out a drab goalless draw.
In their third match, Lazio faced one of the prime title contenders in Inter Milan and did well to register a 3-1 win. However, they could not encash on the momentum as Sampdoria restricted them to a 1-1 stalemate.
Napoli had a much better start than Lazio, as in their first match, they handed Hellas Verona a comprehensive 5-2 victory. Further improving their performance, Luciano Spalletti’s men defeated Monza 4-0 in their second match.
However, Gli Azzurri has since been derailed, as they could only pick up two points from their last couple of fixtures. The scoreline was 0-0 against Fiorentina, while in their last match, Napoli was held to a 1-1 draw by Lecce.
Head to Head Record
Napoli has the upper hand in terms of the head-to-head records, as they have won 19 of the previous 36 meetings against Lazio. The team from the capital city won this fixture only 9 times, while 8 matches ended in draws.
In the last season, Gli Azzurri won both fixtures in the league. The first league saw Spalletti’s team registering a 4-0 win, courtesy of a brace from Dries Mertens and goals from Piotr Zielinski and Fabian Ruiz. The second game produced a 2-1 result, with Lorenzo Insigne and Ruiz scoring for Napoli while Pedro got on the scoresheet for Lazio.
Team News
Sarri will have the luxury of selecting his strongest team from an injury-free squad, as all of Lazio’s players will be available for selection. The former Chelsea manager is expected to field his team in a 4-3-3 formation.
Manuel Lazzari, Alessio Romagnoli, Patric and Adam Marusic are likely to form the backline, with Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Marcos Antonio and Pedro in midfield. Felipe Anderson, Ciro Immobile and Mattia Zaccagni are expected to be the three attacks.
On the other hand, Spalletti will also have a nearly fully fit squad, except that Diego Demme will still need a few more weeks to recover from his foot injury. He is expected to stick to his 4-2-3-1 formation for this match.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Kim Min-Jae, Amir Rahmani and Mario Rui are likely to play in defense, behind a midfield double pivot of Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Stanislav Lobotka. Matteo Politano, Giacomo Raspadori and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are likely to comprise the trio entrusted with the task of creating chances, operating behind lone striker Victor Osimhen.
Predicted Playing XIs
Lazio: Ivan Provedel; Manuel Lazzari, Alessio Romagnoli, Patric, Adam Marusic; Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Marcos Antonio, Pedro; Felipe Anderson, Ciro Immobile, Mattia Zaccagni.
Napoli: Alex Meret; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Kim Min-jae, Amir Rrahmani, Mario Rui; Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Stanislav Lobotka, Matteo Politano, Giacomo Raspadori, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia; Victor Osimhen.
Prediction
Though there is not much to separate the two teams in terms of recent form, Napoli has the edge when it comes to the overall quality of the squad and also head-to-head statistics. Hence, we have predicted that Spalletti’s team to win this match.