Lazio-Napoli is a match valid for the 22nd day of Serie A and is played on Sunday at 6 p.m.: odds, predictions, TV, streaming.
They immediately face each other two disappointments from the Italian Super Cup, which debuted in Saudi Arabia last week with its new Final Four format. Lazio came up short in the semifinals: there was absolutely no match against Inter, who appeared clearly superior to the biancocelesti, and the 3-0 final win even goes narrowly to Simone Inzaghi’s team. An unacceptable performance, called it the coach of the Capitolini Maurizio Sarri, who expected to see a Lazio at least battling against Lautaro and co.
Napoli, on the other hand, did not demerit in the Saudi trip: considering what assumptions Walter Mazzarri’s men were starting from, the fact that they lasted until 90′ (in ten men) in the very final match against Inter is still a good result for the partenopei, still convalescent after the disappointing first part of the season, in which – between coaching changes and painful defeats, the enthusiasm of the Scudetto was somewhat dispersed. The Tuscan coach also introduced important tactical innovations in the two matches against Fiorentina, downed 3-0 in the semifinal, and against the Nerazzurri, switching from a four-man to a three-man defense. The result was that we saw a more solid, gritty Napoli, but in any case a distant relative of the bubbly one of the Spalletti era. Now the goal of Mazzarri and his men, even with the help of the new signings – Ngonge, Traoré, Mazzocchi, Dendoncker, and (probably) Perez – is to climb back up the table.
The Azzurri are ninth, just three points behind fourth place. With Lazio, therefore, it is a direct clash for the Champions League, since the biancocelesti thanks to 4 consecutive victories (Empoli, Frosinone, Udinese and Lecce) are back in the race for fourth place, just one length away.
Lazio-Napoli: the latest lineup news
Sarri, like Mazzarri, has to give up two star players such as Immobile and Zaccagni, both disqualified. Up front, the number one candidate to replace the captain is Castellanos, in weeks returned to training with the group. With him in the attacking trident will be Felipe Anderson and Isaksen. Absent in defense is Patric, struggling with a dislocated shoulder. Alongside Romagnoli, Gila will take his place. Luis Alberto-Vecino duel.
Decimated Napoli’s squad after the Super Cup. Neither Simeone nor Kvaratskhelia will be from the match: without Osimhen, who is committed to the African Cup of Nations, Mazzarri will deploy Raspadori at the center of the attack, surrounded by Politano and Lindstrom. In midfield Cajuste, another disqualified player, will be replaced by Gaetano.
The prediction
Lazio has proved indigestible for Napoli in the last two confrontations, both won by the biancocelesti. The capitolini’s last victory at the Olimpico against the Azzurri, however, was in December 2020, more than three years ago. A draw, on the other hand, has become a rarity, if we take into account that the two teams have not shared the stakes in as many as 14 games. It is difficult to overstate the final result, but it is likely that Lazio will at least manage to avoid defeat against a Napoli side that will be without its two best players, Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia. The number of total goals is likely to be between two and four.
The probable lineups of Lazio-Napoli
LAZIO (4-3-3): Provedel; Lazzari, Gila, Romagnoli, Marusic; Guendouzi, Rovella, Luis Alberto; Isaksen, Castellanos, Felipe Anderson.
NAPOLI (4-3-3): Gollini; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Juan Jesus, Mario Rui; Gaetano, Lobotka, Zielinski; Politano, Raspadori, Lindstrøm.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-1
