Napoli vs Lazio Prediction, Preview, Team News, and Lineups | Serie A, December 8, 2024

Napoli vs Lazio Preview

• Tournament: Serie A
• Date: Sunday, December 8, 2024
• Time: 7:45 pm GMT
• Venue: Stadio Diego Armando Maradona

Napoli will host Lazio at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in an interesting Serie A clash on Sunday, December 8. Both sides have shown great improvement from last season and will look to continue that run.

Napoli finished 10^th in Serie A last time around but sit first this season after 14 games under Antonio Conte. They have won 10, lost two, and drawn two of their matches and are only competing in the league this season.

Lazio, meanwhile, finished seventh last season and are fifth after 14 games this campaign with nine wins, four defeats, and one draw. They are also at the top of the UEFA Europa League table, making their league exploits even more impressive.

Interestingly, Lazio beat Napoli 3-1 at home in the Coppa Italia Round of 16 on Thursday, December 5. Hence, Conte’s side will look for revenge on Sunday.

Napoli Team News

Napoli will be without Pasquale Mazzocchi due to his muscle injury. He is expected to return later this month.

Lazio Team News

Lazio, meanwhile, have Matias Vecino out due to a muscle injury while Nicolo Rovella is suspended. Nuno Tavares, Boulaye Dia, and Gaetano Castrovilli are doubts for Sunday’s match.

Predicted Lineups

Napoli predicted lineup (4-3-3):

Goalkeeper: Alex Meret

Defenders: Mathias Olivera, Alessandro Buongiorno, Amir Rrahmani, Giovanni Di Lorenzo

Midfielders: Scott McTominay, Stanislav Lobotka, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa

Attackers: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Romelu Lukaku, Matteo Politano

Lazio predicted lineup (4-3-3):

Goalkeeper: Christos Mandas

Defenders: Manuel Lazzari, Samuel Gigot, Patric, Elseid Hysaj

Midfielders: Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Nicolo Rovella, Tijjani Noslin

Attackers: Pedro Rodriguez, Mattia Zaccagni, Valentin Castellanos

Napoli vs Lazio H2H Record

In their previous 32 meetings, Napoli have won 19 times, Lazio have won eight times while the remaining five matches ended in a draw.

Last 5 results:

Key Players to watch in Napoli vs Lazio

Romelu Lukaku

After much speculation about his future, Romelu Lukaku eventually joined Napoli in the summer to reunite with Antonio Conte. He is their joint top-scorer and top assist provider with five goals and five assists in 14 games across competitions. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has also scored five goals.

However, he has scored just two goals in his last eight appearances across competitions, which has also coincided with Napoli not being able to win some games. He will be eager to turn his form around and help his side put the disappointment of Coppa Italia elimination behind them.

Valentin Castellanos

The Argentine centre-forward is Lazio’s top scorer this season with eight goals and five assists in 18 games across competitions. Six goals and three assists of those have come in Serie A while two goals and two assists have come in five UEFA Europa League appearances.

Castellanos has, however, scored just once in his last six games across competitions. That goal, though, came in his last appearance as they lost 3-1 against Parma. He didn’t play against Napoli midweek but will be keen to add to the tally against the league leaders on Sunday.

Napoli vs Lazio Prediction

Napoli have had a great overall start to the season despite some disappointing results as they sit atop the Serie A table. However, their form has certainly taken a hit in recent weeks as they have just two wins in their last five games with two defeats and one draw.

One of those defeats saw them being eliminated from the Coppa Italia. They beat Roma at home and Torino away, both 1-0, before losing 3-1 against Lazio in the Coppa Italia Round of 16.

Lazio, meanwhile, have eight wins in their last 10 games across competitions with one defeat and one draw. They drew 0-0 against Ludogorets Razgrad in the Europa League before losing 3-1 against Parma in Serie A and then beat Napoli in Coppa Italia in their last three games.

Lazio have been excellent this season and have shown they can beat anyone on their day. Napoli, meanwhile, will be keen to take revenge from midweek and continue their brilliant run in the Serie A. It will be an interesting match but the hosts should edge out a win.

Predicted Score: Napoli 2-1 Lazio

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