Wednesday 20th September 2017 Kickoff:1945hrs Lazio v Napoli Football – Italy – Serie A Serie A is slowly returning to something like it’s best as a number of teams continue to improve and attempt to close the gap on what has been a dominant Juventus. Both Milan clubs have been the subject of takeovers in the last year and substantial amounts of money invested but two sides who are putting it up to Juve without that sort of backing meet in Rome on Wednesday in the game of the night in Serie A. Lazio and Napoli have made strong starts to their league campaigns and will both feel they are capable of getting the three points which could see them top the table.
Gone are the days where Lazio can spend the same amount of money as the top sides in Italy but they are making do with what they have and Simone Inzaghi is proving to be a very impressive coach. Having had to play second fiddle to Roma for a number of years now, there appears to be a genuine opportunity for Lazio to compete with their neighbours from the capital. Three wins and a draw from their first four matches – including a notable 4-1 win over AC Milan in their last home game. This run of form comes on the back of their Super Coppa Italia win against Juventus which would have done wonders for their confidence. They now face another big test of how far they have came when taking on a free scoring Napoli outfit.
Napoli have flirted with challenging Juventus for a few seasons now without every really being capable of taking it to the end of the season. Four straight wins to begin this season has got the expectation levels rising yet again, especially as the Old Lady of Italian football may not be quite at the same level as they have been in past years. It would be foolish to write them off and you still feel that if anybody is to usurp them then they’ll have to beat them at least once. It doesn’t detract from how important games against the other big clubs in Italy will be and if there has been a criticism of this Napoli side it’s that they have been inconsistent in these games – especially away from home. The team from Naples also suffered a disappointing defeat away to Shakthar in the Champions League last week and will be looking for a much improved performance on Wednesday.
Lazio v Napoli Betting Tip
It’s a really fascinating early season encounter between two teams who have been on fire. Napoli will definitely move back to the top of the league if they can secure a win whilst Lazio have that same opportunity if they win and results elsewhere go their way. That would be a nice tag to have but the main motivation is getting three points against a team who may well be challenging for the top placings come the end of the season.
Napoli’s real threat is in the pace and dynamism they have in attack and it has been shown to full effect with 15 goals in four games. Lazio are not quite as free scoring but they have found the net 1o times in their last three games, so we should be well set for entertainment in Rome. Sometimes it’s best to keep things simple – over 2.5 goals would have landed in all four of Napoli’s Serie A games this season whilst it’s been a winner in three of Lazio’s four games.
Over 2.5 goals 4/7 @ Betfair
