Serie A: Napoli vs. Roma Betting Preview, Odds and Prediction

Napoli and AS Roma close week 30 of the Italian Serie A, with a game at San Paolo stadium in Naples. The two sides are entering this clash three points away from one another, with Roma sitting at place No.5 and Napoli at No.7. The hosts already secured their place in the Europa League, winning the Coppa Italia, while on the other side, the guests also want to ensure a direct EL spot until the end of the campaign.

Preview

Napoli (-105) was pretty good until the last game against Atalanta in Bergamo. Even then, they didn’t play that bad, but Atalanta’s blitz in the span of eight minutes brought Gattuso’s team down.

It was the first loss for Napoli since the restart of the championship, and the first game in which they allowed more than one goal. Previously, they played 1-1 against Inter in the semis of Coppa Italia, then defeated Juve on penalties and after a goalless draw, before trashing Verona 0-2 and SPAL 3-1.

It couldn’t be said that their motivation deflated after winning the Cup, but totally the opposite. Partenopei are now playing without any pressure, which allows them to be more creative and relaxed.

AS Roma (+260) posted two losses in a row, in which they haven’t scored at all. If the one against AC Milan at San Siro was expected, a slap in the face at home versus Udinese wasn’t. Both of these events ended with 2-0, shaking the team’s morale before the crucial games of the season.

Il Lupi needs to win in series; otherwise, Milan is about to jump over them and take the EL place, pushing Paulo Fonseca’s boys to qualifications.

All three matches this team played (including the first against Sampdoria, a 2-1 win) ended with a moderate efficiency, meaning 2 or 3 goals.

Latest News

Napoli has two players who are definitely out for this match, Allan and Macluit, while Davide Ospina, remains questionable.

On the other side, several of Roma’s members are not available for tonight. Jesus, Lopez, Mancini are injured, while Perotti received a red card and is suspended.

Head to Head Matches

The first game of the campaign at Olimpico ended with 2-1 for Roma. Zaniolo and Veretout scored for the hosts, with Kolarov missing the penalty in the meantime, while on the other side, Milik netted for Napoli.

This H2H game was the sixth in the previous seven in which both teams scored. Now, when looking at the games only in Naples, the hosts haven’t won against Roma since November 1, 2014.

Prediction

Napoli is in good shape at home, and in general, they aren’t allowing to lose points at San Paolo. As we said they are playing relaxed and without any pressure, which will see them playing offensive and open. Roma, meanwhile, will be more cautious, as they consider one point from here to be a solid success.

Therefore, we would go with a moderate efficiency, meaning 2 or 3 goals, with the odds for that one at +100. We expect goals here, but not fireworks and this suggestion seems the most logical.