Napoli vs Roma: Expect Fireworks in Fiery Serie A Clash

SSC Napoli vs AS Roma

We’re only nine matches into the Serie A season and we’re already seeing what the season would most probably look like.

Juventus, already the favourites of many SBOBET football fans to win the Italian top flight one more time, are at the top of the table with their players seemingly scoring at will. Napoli are keeping the chase as they try to wait for a Juve slip and steal the top spot. Meanwhile, the rest of the top Italian clubs are squabbling to get within firing range of the defending champions.

And while there’s still a lot of football to be played, the upcoming duel between Napoli and Roma is bound to become one of the most important of the season. Napoli need to win this game if they want to keep the pressure on the Old Lady, while Roma must get the three points to get into the battle for the Champions League spots.

Fans can expect a lot of exciting attacking football to come from these two outstanding teams. However, the question everyone asking is which side will emerge victorious at the Stadio San Paolo? This piece will provide the latest Serie A 2018 updates regarding this match to help you make an informed decision.

Talking Points

Napoli will be coming to this match full of confidence after a streak of three wins in all competitions. Sure, they may have suffered a bit of a knockdown after Juventus gave them a demoralizing beatdown. However, their superb victory over Liverpool in the Champions League was followed up by dominant displays over Sassuolo and Udinese.

At the heart of Napoli’s successes in Italy and Europe is Lorenzo Insigne. The 27-year-old has played spectacularly for Carlo Ancelotti, bagging six goals, an assist and two Man of the Match honours in only seven league appearances. The Italy international is also a fixture in his nation’s UEFA Nations League campaign.

Roma are currently six points adrift of Napoli in seventh place

However, that’s not the only reason the Giallorossi should be wary of the star striker. Napoli were on the cusp of beating French giants Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League at the Parc des Princes. However, a 93rd-minute equaliser stole the three points and gave the Napoli squad a lot of regrets. With Insigne coming to this game under this mindset, there’s no wonder that he will be a troublesome opponent to keep from scoring.

They also have a solid defence ready to defend against a strong Roman siege. Kevin Malcuit, Kalidou Koulibaly and Nikola Maksimovic have done well in helping I Ciucciarelli secure their last three clean sheets. However, Koulibaly has to be careful as he is one yellow card away from getting a one-game suspension. That would be the last thing he would want as every point matters in their chase to Juventus.

Roma are also a strong side with many impressive players on their employ, but they have had a rather shaky start to their season. They lost three of their first nine games, and all of them were against clubs that are deemed weaker than them. It is especially frustrating for the supporters as their beloved club can pull off a superb outing against impressive competition.

Eusebio Di Francesco needs ace striker Edin Dzeko to convert his shot attempts to more goals. Compared to his counterpart, he has only converted two goals to go with his two assists and one Man of the Match award. He needs to cut his goal-scoring rut and sink in more goals for I Giallorossi to win the three points.

Fortunately for him, he has reliable team-mates ready to support him. Steven Nzonzi, Aleksandar Kolarov and Stephan El Shaarawy are more than ready to step up and supply him with plenty of opportunities to score. All he needs to do is find his consistency against their tough opponents.

History

These two rivals have played plenty of football games, and Roma have won more of those games. They were victorious in 19 of their 38 encounters with Partenopei Gli Azzurri. Meanwhile, the hosts took 10 and drew nine.

There’s also an interesting trend in their most recent head-to-head. The away team won their last four games, giving Roma a definite advantage. In fact, the last game saw Napoli take down the Maurizio Sarri-led Napoli to the tune of 2-4 last March.

In terms of form, both teams have played impressive football. There’s nothing really separating the two clubs, and no one will raise an eyebrow if the Serie A 2018 predictions for this match will point to a draw.

Betting Tip

	SSC Napoli vs AS Roma	Napoli -0.75 @ 2.01
	October 29, 03:30 (GMT+8)

Given how inconsistent Roma have played in the Serie A, it’s hard not to root for Napoli to win this game. Sure, the guests won their last Champions League match, but CSKA Moscow aren’t the toughest team in Europe. Meanwhile, I Ciucciarelli almost won against France’s biggest team. Going for the Asian Handicap market is a no-brainer for this match.

There are more interesting odds in the SBOBET football market if you know where to look. There is a high possibility of the game ending in a high-scoring affair, so going for Over 3.00 Goals rewards punters with 2.19 odds. Given that, 4-6 Total Goals @ 2.91 is also a sound investment.