Lazio Vs Napoli
Lazio Vs Napoli Sunday 20th December 2020 – 19:45 (kick-off)
Italian Serie A
Pick: Lazio Draw No Bet
Odds: 21/20
Bookmaker: BetVictor
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 17th December 2020)
Preview: Ciro Immobile’s late winner ensured a first league win for Lazio against Napoli at the Stadio Olimpico in seven seasons. It is the latter, though, who have enjoyed the stronger season to date – but with key personnel unavailable, are the visitors even capable of returning to winning ways here?
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Table of Contents
Lazio – Inzaghi struggling for solution to stuttering start?
The midweek 1-1 draw away to newly-promoted Benevento, which saw a sublime Ciro Immobile volley from the edge of the box cancelled out on the stroke of half-time, compounded a frustrating start to the Serie A season for the Biancocelesti. The 18 points they have through twelve rounds is already the poorest return of the Simone Inzaghi era, with the club legend seeing his side struggle for consistency all season.
Lazio (W5 D3 L4) have strung together multiple league victories just once since kicking off with a 2-0 triumph on the road in Cagliari on 26th September. They are currently ten points adrift of leaders AC Milan, and five back from Napoli in fifth, who they meet at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday. A fixture they clinched all three points in last season; a late Immobile effort sealing a hard-fought 1-0 success (xG: LAZ 1.21 – 1.01 NAP).
A draw in Tuesday’s ‘Derby of the Inzaghi brothers’ made it two wins in six (W2 D2 L2). Meanwhile, a defence which has shutout just two teams all season long makes it incredibly difficult to win games. This despite the best efforts of forwards Felipe Caicedo and Ciro Immobile (5 home goals between them). Both teams have scored in nine of twelve league games thus far, including all six home fixtures (W1 D2 L3).
Napoli – Key absentee could curtail away form?
Gennaro Gattuso had every right to feel aggrieved with how Wednesday’s narrow defeat to Inter Milan unfolded. His team created the better of the chances at San Siro, both before and after a red card was shown to Lorenzo Insigne for dissent, while losing Dries Mertens to an ankle injury merely fifteen minutes in was a bitter blow. Romelu Lukaku then converting a second-half penalty added further insult to injury.
The toll of the Milan encounter could be borne out in full at the Stadio Olimpico, where Napoli (W8 L4) can boast an excellent recent record of four Serie A wins in their past five visits having lost one of the past nine competitive meetings there (W6 D3). On this occasion, though, the Partenopei are tasked with finding a solution to their problems up top now that Insigna is suspended and Mertens unlikely to feature either.
The aforementioned pair have contributed eight Serie A goals so far, four apiece, and so will naturally be missed. The scoring burden suddenly falls on ‘Chucky’ Lozano, who has more goals (6) than any team-mate in 2020/21, and Andrea Petegna (3 goals). Some positive news will be Napoli’s record on the road (W4 L2): their average of 2 points-per-away-game more than double that of Lazio at home (0.87).
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Lazio Vs Napoli Betting Advice
There wasn’t much cause for celebration in either dressing room during the week. At least Lazio didn’t come away empty-handed, though a point on the road at promoted side Benevento has to be viewed as a disappointing outcome. Simone Inzaghi’s men make the trip back home to where they have won only once in the league all season, and where goals have not been in short supply – both teams scoring in all six.
Lazio Vs Napoli – Key Facts:
- This season, Lazio have won one of six home games in Serie A (W1 D2 L3). At this same stage last season they already had four home wins and were unbeaten.
- Napoli are the only team in Serie A yet to play out a draw in 2020/21. Meanwhile, their 2 points-per-away-game average (W4 L2) is bettered by just four sides.
- The Partenopei were unbeaten in seven away Serie A games against Lazio (W6 D1) before suffering a 1-0 loss in this fixture last season – Ciro Immobile with the winner.
A frustrating result at the San Siro for Napoli on Wednesday, in which they were beaten 1-0 after spurning countless gilt-edged opportunities only to be undone by a penalty, was compounded when losing two-thirds of their forward line to injury and suspension. The Partenopei boast four away wins and two defeats so far, but were beaten to nil at Juventus and Inter. A similar scenario could materialise on Sunday.
Best Betting Odds – Lazio Vs Napoli
Lazio – 19/10 (BetFred)
Draw – 5/2 (Bet365)
Napoli – 6/4 (Betfair)
