Spezia-Napoli is a Serie A Week 21 match played on Sunday at 12:30: odds, predictions, TV and streaming
The long bench of Spalletti’s Napoli tends perhaps to be talked about too little but it was two substitutes, Raspadori and Simeone, who packed the win over José Mourinho’s Roma last Sunday. Thrown into the fray by the Tuscan coach, the Argentine striker proved decisive once again, giving the Azzurri three points that seemed to have vanished after El Shaarawy’s momentary equaliser in the final minutes.
After their first league defeat at the San Siro against Inter Milan, the partenopei have regained their extraordinary pre-September continuity, in defiance of the cliché that wants teams coached by Luciano Spalletti to decline from January onwards. Four consecutive victories, eleven goals scored and only two conceded: Napoli are flying, while at the back they compete to see who, masochistically, loses the most ground. The gap from second place, thanks to the 2-1 victory over the Capitolini, has become thirteen points. An enormity. It follows that from now until May, the main opponent Osimhen and his team-mates will be Napoli themselves: the Scudetto is getting closer but the Azzurri must not make the mistake of relaxing when there are still four months to go until the end of the tournament.
La Spezia can’t score anymore
The temptation, however, is strong and that is why Spalletti will do everything he can to keep the attention threshold high in those seemingly already written matches like the one with Spezia. Winning in Liguria is crucial, considering that Inter and AC Milan will take points off each other in the Milan derby.
Gotti
Luca Gotti’s Bianconeri, unbeaten in their first three matches of 2023, lost first to Roma and then to Bologna, always with the same result (2-0). The former Udinese coach is worried about an attack that suddenly fails to bite: in the last four matches Spezia have not scored a single goal on action and have moved dangerously close to third-last Verona, now only five points away. To try and revitalise the forward department the club signed Shomurodov from Roma on the last day of the market, who will play in place of the injured Nzola for the time being.
Spezia-Napoli: the latest line-up news
The list of unavailable players is a long one at home to Spezia. In addition to Nzola, the disqualified Gyasi will also be missing in attack. Shomurodov will make his debut alongside Verde. Also missing will be Kovalenko, Nzola, Zurkowski, Ekdal, Zoet, Moutinho and Bastoni, all struggling with injuries and various muscle problems. In defence there is Caldara, assisted by Amian and Nikolaou. Reca and Holm will act on the two flanks.
Spalletti’s only doubt concerns the attacking trident as usual, where Lozano, Politano and Elmas will compete for a shirt on the right: the Mexican is the favourite over the other two.
The prediction
It doesn’t seem to know any obstacles this Napoli side and only a – far from improbable – drop of tension could make them lose points in the away match in La Spezia. The Azzurri’s victory does not seem to be in question: a more prolific second half than the first is also conceivable, considering that the partenopei have scored 19 of their total 48 goals in the last half hour of play, a trend confirmed also against Roma.
The likely line-up for Spezia v Napoli
- SPEZIA (3-5-2): Dragowski; Amian, Caldara, Nikolaou; Holm, Bourabia, Ampadu, Agudelo, Reca; Verde, Shomurodov.
- NAPOLI (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Kim, Mario Rui; Zambo Anguissa, Lobotka, Zielinski; Lozano, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 0-2
