APPENA ARRIVATO: Nuovo orario di inizio per Napoli-Lazio, canale TV, pronostici, formazioni, arbitro e VAR.
Three days after a comprehensive cup win in Rome, Lazio will reconvene with
Serie A title rivals Napoli at Stadio Maradona on Sunday.
The Aquile soared into the Coppa Italia quarter-finals by beating the Partenopei on home turf,
and they now aim to repeat the feat in Naples.
Exiting at the last-16 stage for a fourth year running, Napoli slumped out of the cup on
Thursday evening, losing 3-1 to a Lazio side that also missed an early penalty.
Antonio Conte named an entirely different starting XI to that which had lined up in last week’s league
win over Torino – when his team posted the second of back-to-back victories since the
November international break – and ultimately paid the price.
With no European football to contend with, Napoli’s focus is now totally trained on
regaining the Scudetto next spring, having made an impressive start to Conte’s first campaign.
Although an unfamiliar back line shipped three at Stadio Olimpico, the Partenopei have
kept nine clean sheets in the league this term – plus two in the Coppa Italia
and that foundation has helped their talented attackers thrive.
One of perhaps seven teams vying for top spot in an exciting title race,
Napoli now aim to keep one of their close rivals at arm’s length
losing to Lazio on Sunday evening would see their visitors close to within a point.
Having averaged 2.8 goals per game in their last 12 home fixtures against the Aquile
winning eight times in the process – recent history appears to be on their side.
However, they have actually lost the clubs’ two most recent meetings in Naples.
They come into this contest sitting just outside Italy’s top four,
after suffering their first defeat since mid-October last weekend.
Three days after a long winning run was finally ended by their Europa League draw against Ludogorets,
as Taty Castellanos scored their only goal in a 3-1 defeat.
That halted a streak of five consecutive league victories for Marco Baroni’s men,
who are nonetheless still in the thick of things at the sharp end of Serie A.
The Biancocelesti are also top of the Europa League standings and undefeated after
five rounds of the league phase, and a win over Ajax next week would put them in a
strong position to reach the next stage of UEFA’s second-tier club competition.
Baroni will be all too aware, though, that all four of Lazio’s domestic defeats have arrived on the road,
so proving they can beat the top sides outside of Rome will be the next step in their development.
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