Napoli will face Roma at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona this Sunday in a Serie A matchup.
Napoli comes into this game following a 1-1 draw with Inter Milan in their previous league outing. They had 47% possession and managed five shots on goal, with two hitting the target. Scott McTominay gave Napoli the lead in the 23rd minute, but Inter’s Hakan Çalhanoğlu equalized in the 43rd minute.
Over their last six games, Napoli has scored 8 goals and conceded 5. Despite their recent form, they have been unable to beat Roma in their last two encounters.
Roma, meanwhile, will be eager to recover from a 3-2 defeat to Bologna. Roma enjoyed 54% possession and had 15 attempts on goal, five of which were on target. Stephan El Shaarawy scored both goals for Roma in the 63rd and 82nd minutes.
Bologna, however, won with goals from Santiago Castro, Riccardo Orsolini, and Jesper Karlsson. Roma has been involved in high-scoring matches lately, averaging 3.33 goals per game across their last six, scoring a total of 20 goals.
However, they have struggled on the road, failing to win any of their last nine away league matches. Furthermore, they have not beaten Napoli at home in their last six league meetings.
Looking at their recent head-to-head results, Napoli has won two of the last five encounters, Roma has won one, and three games have ended in draws.
The last match between the two sides, in April 2024, ended in a 2-2 draw. Napoli had 48% possession and 27 shots, with goals from Mathías Olivera and Victor Osimhen. Roma responded with goals from Paulo Dybala and Tammy Abraham.
Napoli is expected to line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Alex Meret in goal, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani, A.
Buongiorno, and Mathías Olivera in defense. In midfield, Andre Zambo Anguissa, Scott McTominay, and Billy Gilmour are likely to play, with Matteo Politano, Romelu Lukaku, and K. Kvaratskhelia leading the attack.
Roma, managed by Claudio Ranieri, will be without Eldor Shomurodov, who is recovering from a groin injury, and Alexis Saelemaekers, who is out after ankle surgery.
They are likely to set up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Mile Svilar in goal and a defense of Gianluca Mancini, Evan Ndicka, and Saud Abdulhamid. In midfield, Manu Koné, Bryan Cristante, Zeki Celik, and Angeliño are expected to feature, while Matias Soule, Lorenzo Pellegrini, and Artem Dovbyk will lead the attack.
Prediction
Napoli is expected to dominate possession and convert their chances into goals. Although Roma may struggle to create many opportunities, they could still score.
A comfortable 3-1 win for Napoli is predicted, with fewer than 3.5 goals in the match.
