This week’s Italian football has some exciting football in the store for us as two Italian giants fight for three points after a quality performance in the Champions League.
Napoli will host Roma on Sunday night in Serie A after both clubs were at their best during midweek’s European games. Ancelotti will be eager to stay close to Juve in the league table but the manager will have to face an uphill battle against Eden Dzeko and co. Here is everything you need to know before the game:
When and where to watch the game:
Napoli will host the capital city club on Monday, 29th October at 1:00 AM IST. Indian viewers can watch the game on the Sony Network and sonyliv.com.
? Naples #ASRoma #NapoliRoma pic.twitter.com/NdACNAR34K
— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) October 27, 2018
Preview:
The Blues have continued with their beautiful playing style under Carlo Ancelotti and just like last season, they continue to be the biggest threat for Italian champions, Juventus. Napoli won 3-0 against Udinese last Sunday with late goals from Mertens and Marko Rog. In their Champions League clash against PSG, Angel Di Maria’s equalizer in the 93rd minute robbed the Italians of all three points after a dominating display against the Parisians.
Roma, on the other hand, have been extremely inconsistent. The capital city club scored 3 against CSKA Moscow on Tuesday night but lost 2-0 to SPAL just three days before that. Roma currently sit 7th in the table with just 14 points from 9 games and need to deliver consistently in order to finish in the Champions League qualification spot.
Team News:
Lorenzo Insigne’s injury is the biggest concern for Napoli as the Italian suffered a knock against PSG. Insigne has already scored 8 goals this season and he will be sorely missed by the hosts. But he is still expected to start on the bench and might have a part to play in the later stages. Faouzi Ghoulam, Alex Meret, Amin Younes, Vlad Chiriches, Simone Luperto, and Adam Ounas will all be on the sidelines as injury troubles continue for Carlo Ancelotti. But the experienced Italian has learned to live with it and has a deadly squad at his disposal.
Roma are likely to miss the services of Javier Pastore as the Argentine is a doubt for the game. Patrik Schick, Diego Perotti, and Rick Karsdorp continue to be on the sidelines.
Expected Line-Ups and Formation:
Napoli:
With Insigne on the bench, Arkadiusz Milik is likely to start in front of the goal partnering in form Dries Mertens. The Belgian has scored against both Udinese and PSG in the last seven days and will look to lead the attack in Insigne’s absence. Callejon and Zielinski will operate on the wings in midfield four with captain Hamsik and Allan in the center of the park. (4-4-2)
Ospina (GK); Hysaj, Albiol, Koulibaly, Mario Rui; Callejon, Allan, Hamsik, Zielinski; Mertens, Milik
Roma:
Eden Dzeko will be crucial to Roma’s chances against Napoli after he scored a brace against Moscow. But the Bosnia-Herzegovina international is yet to find his groove in Serie A this season with just 2 goals in eight games. He will be supported by Cengiz Under and El Shaarawy. (4-2-3-1)
Olsen (GK); Florenzi, Fazio, Manolas, Kolarov; Nzonzi, De Rossi; Under, Pellegrini, El Shaarawy; Dzeko
Predictions:
Despite Roma’s current form in the Champions League, they have found it difficult to deliver on weekly basis in Serie A. Napoli on the other hands are motivated and eager to stay with Juventus as much as possible. Three points for the club from Naples as Roma’s defence is likely to suffer despite Insigne’s absence.
