The fight for Serie A glory may be over for Victor Osimhen's Napoli, but a clash with Roma this weekend promises fireworks. Just a week after conceding their title, the Partenopei will be eager to bounce back against a high-flying Giallorossi side. Here's a closer look at this upcoming fixture, along with a prediction for SSC Napoli vs AS Roma.
Quick Stats Napoli's recent form has been a mixed bag. While they secured a thrilling 4-2 victory over Monza this month, with Victor Osimhen finding the net alongside Matteo Politano, Piotr Zielinski, and Giacomo Raspadori, their overall results haven't been inspiring. A concerning 3-0 home defeat to Atalanta was followed by draws against Inter and Torino, and a Champions League loss to Barcelona. While the home side's form has been inconsistent, AS Roma were flying high until a surprising home defeat to Bologna last weekend, however, before that setback, they were a force to be reckoned with, boasting an impressive unbeaten run in the Italian topflight since February 18th, 2024, with six wins and two draws. The hosts' Serie A campaign so far has been one of inconsistency. Despite managing 13 wins, they've also conceded 10 draws and 10 losses, leaving them in 8th place in the league table with a win rate of just 39%. Their home form reflects this trend, with a record of 6 wins, 5 draws, and 5 losses. The Rome based side are having a strong season in Serie A, currently sitting comfortably in 5th place out of 20 teams. Their overall record reflects this success, with 17 wins, 7 draws, and only 9 losses, translating to a win rate of 52%. Even on the road, Roma have been impressive, managing 6 wins, 4 draws, and just 6 losses. Match Preview History suggests a tight battle awaits at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. In the last five meetings, the Francesco Calzona led side hold a slight edge with two wins and two draws, but Daniele De Rossi's Roma emerged victorious in the other encounter.
Overall, AS Roma boasts the historical upper hand, winning 16 out of 39 encounters against Napoli, while losing 14 and drawing the remaining nine. Interestingly, these matches typically produce a decent amount of goals, averaging 2.85 per game.
Last season, the Blues secured a narrow victory in this corresponding fixture, with Giovanni Simeone scoring a late winner against Jose Mourinho's Roma. In fact, Roma haven't won at Napoli since 2018, when a brace from Edin Dzeko led them to a 4-2 victory. Remarkably, most recent clashes have been decided by a maximum of two goals, with the lone exception being Napoli's 4-0 win in 2020.
Hosts, Napoli enters the match in shaky form, having won only once in their last five league games. This includes a 3-0 loss to Ademola Lookman's Atalanta and a draw against title contenders Inter Milan. Their home record is equally concerning, with six wins, five draws, and five losses in 16 matches. They average a meager 1.44 points per home game and have only managed one win in their last five attempts at the Maradona Stadium.
Despite their struggles, Napoli possesses some attacking firepower. Victor Osimhen, 25, leads the team with 13 goals this season, averaging nearly a goal every game.
Roma's away form is considered average overall, but their recent results offer a glimmer of hope. They've won three out of their last five away fixtures. However, their larger sample size paints a more mixed picture: five wins, four draws, and six losses in 15 away games. The I Gialloross averages a decent 1.4 goals scored per away game but concedes slightly more at 1.33 per game.
Paulo Dybala has been a bright spot for Roma this season, contributing 12 goals and eight assists. He averages an impressive 0.68 goals per 90 minutes.
Mathias Olivera will be touch and go for the game. The left-back has been suffering with an injury but could return for the game. Napoli have up to four suspension risks including the likes of Nigerian star, Victor Osimhen.
Belgium's Romelu Lukaku will be unavailable due to muscle problems. Evan Ndicka is expected to make a return and there are up to five suspension risks for Daniele De Rossi.
SSC Napoli vs AS Roma H2H: Last 10 Games 23 Dec 2023 AS Roma 2-0 SSC Napoli
29 Jan 2023 SSC Napoli 2-1 AS Roma
23 Oct 2022 AS Roma 0-1 SSC Napoli
18 Apr 2022 SSC Napoli 1-1 AS Roma
24 Oct 2021 AS Roma 0-0 SSC Napoli
21 Mar 2021 AS Roma 0-2 SSC Napoli
29 Nov 2020 SSC Napoli 4-0 AS Roma
5 Jul 2020 SSC Napoli 2-1 ASRoma
5 Nov 2019 ASRoma 2-1 SSC Napoli
31 Mar 2019 ASRoma 1-4 SSC Napoli
SSC Napoli vs AS Roma Prediction Bookmakers install Napoli as favorites for the match with odds of 1.90. However, there's a struggle to see the value in this pick. The defnding champons have been underperforming under new manager Francesco Calzona, winning just one of their last seven games across all competitions. Their struggles were further highlighted by a meager one-shot on goal in their recent 0-1 defeat to relegation-threatened Empoli.
While Roma faces a challenging Europa League semi-final against Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday, they cannot afford to drop points in Serie A either. In contrast to Napoli's struggles, The Yellow and Reds have lost just one of their last seven matches in all competitions, suggesting they enter the fixture in much better form. Analysts recommend a bet on Roma to win or draw at odds of 1.83.
Given both teams' recent struggles in front of goal, the under 2.5 goals option at 1.90 appears as a viable alternative bet. Napoli desperately needs points to secure a European position, but their lack of attacking creativity raises concerns. It promises to be a tense affair with limited scoring opportunities. This prediction is supported by Napoli's single shot on target against Empoli and the fact that only one of Roma's last four league outings produced two or more goals.
SSC Napoli vs AS Roma Predicted Line Ups Napoli: Alex Meret, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani, Juan Jesus, Mario Rui, Andre Zambo Anguissa, Stanislav Lobotka, Piotr Zielinski, Matteo Politano, Victor Osimhen, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Roma : Mile Svilar, Rick Karsdorp, Gianluca Mancini, Dean Donny Huijsen, Angelino, Edoardo Bove, Bryan Cristante, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Paulo Dybala, Sardar Azmoun, Stephan El Shaarawy.