Prediction: AS Roma vs Napoli

Verdict: Over 2.5 goals

Best Odds: 3/5

Bookmaker: bet365

AS Roma’s impressive run of results came to an abrupt end as they were beaten by arch rivals Lazio in Coppa Italia semi-final first leg, and the Gallorossi will be looking to bounce straight back when they host Napoli. The Azzurri will also have a point to prove after a 2-0 loss to top 3 rivals Atalanta, and everything points out to this being a cracking game of football at Stadio Olimpico.

AS Roma

Having enjoyed a genuine renaissance under Luciano Spalletti, AS Roma are enjoying a very successful season, and everybody agrees that they are playing their best football in years. The Giallorossi have cemented second place in the Serie A standings thanks to the run of four straight victories and being seven points behind leaders Juventus, they are still in with a chance of mounting a serious title challenge. And even though AS Roma are in a good position to secure Champions League qualification, they’ve got Napoli, Atalanta and Lazio breathing down their necks, so it is clear they cannot afford to relax just yet. This is a perfect opportunity for the Giallorossi to show their character as the Napoli game comes just three days after the 2-0 defeat to local rivals Lazio in Coppa Italia, where AS Roma dominated the encounter, but their opponents were ruthless on the break and eventually secured a very good result ahead of the return leg. In spite of the setback, the Giallorossi are highly unlikely to discard their trademark attacking approach that saw them win 15 straight Serie A games on home soil.

Team News

Wojciech Szczesny and Daniele De Rossi will be recalled after they were rested in midweek, but Alessandro Florenzi continues to miss out.

Napoli

SSC Napoli are another Serie A side that have done well this term, but the recent slump in form is threatening to ruin their season. Napoli have now lost three of their last four fixtures in all fronts, suffering 3-1 defeats in the first leg of Champions League Last 16 stage and Coppa Italia semi-final, while also putting their top 3 finish in danger with the home loss to Atalanta. The Azzurri probably did not deserve a convincing defeat to Juventus and they were furious at the match officials for awarding the Bianconeri two penalties, but they have no choice but to rally the troops and attempt to make amends by beating AS Roma. Head coach Maurizio Sarri will have several important players back to the side after they were rested in midweek, and he will be hoping they produce the spark needed to turn things around. The goals appear to be drying out for Napoli as they only netted once in last two games, but attack-minded Giallorossi are going to leave a lot of space behind and that is something the likes of Mertens, Callejon, Hamsik and Insigne will be looking to exploit.

Team News

Dries Mertens, Elseid Hysaj, Faouzi Ghoulam and Piotr Zielinski will return to the side, but Lorenzo Tonelli and Allan remain sidelined.

Key Factors to Consider

• AS Roma won three of last four matches vs Napoli (D1)
• Both teams scored in just one of their last seven meetings
• AS Roma won each of their last five home games vs Napoli
• The Azzurri lost three of their last four fixtures
• AS Roma won 15 successive home matches in Serie A

Conclusion

Even though their previous meetings did not produce too many goals, we definitely expect this to change when AS Roma and Napoli square off on Saturday. Both sides are after morale-boosting wins following disappointing defeats and we are, therefore, backing over 2.5 goals to be scored.

Verdict: Over 2.5 goals

Best Odds: 3/5

Bookmaker: bet365