Napoli vs AC Milan
Naples is the place to be on Sunday for the European match of the weekend as league leaders AC Milan visit third placed Napoli – a team intent on knocking them off their perch.
Napoli vs AC Milan at the Stadio San Paulo is by all intents a top of the Serie A table clash. The hosts are three points behind Milan and a victory would see them move ahead of their visitors.
There’s plenty of intrigue in the game with former Milan boss Gennaro Gattuso trying to end his old club’s unbeaten record, while I Rossoneri’s 39-year-old forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic is currently the hottest shot in the league.
The SBOTOP odds point to a belter of a game. So if you can see the match on Sunday night, buckle up and enjoy the ride.
Talking Points
Milan legend is a good fit for Napoli
Napoli boss Gattuso was a Milan legend as a player, spending over a decade at the club and making 335 appearances in one of I Rossoneri’s most successful periods.
He then coached the club between 2017 and 2019, but left after missing out on Champions League football by a single point.
Gattuso headed south to Naples and has since made in a strong impression with his new club, as a season of consolidation last term produced a Coppa Italia title and a seventh-placed finish.
This campaign, Gattuso is aiming for a top-four place and a title challenge, and his pugnacious style as a player is a good foil for a highly-talented and creative Napoli side.
They have playing with a combination of flair and fight, and had it not been for a one point deduction when Gli Azzurri failed to turn up to a match away to Juventus when they had two COVID-19 cases, they would have been in an even better position.
The league awarded a 3-0 victory to I Bianconeri, and that was one of only two games Gattuso’s men have failed to win in the opening seven games.
With a successful appeal, they would have been two points behind Milan with a game in hand and this would have been a top-two clash.
Gli Azzurri has plenty of firepower and two players who know the club inside out.
Lorenzo Insigne and Dries Mertens both have two goals each while the Belgian also has three assists.
Mertens scored a beauty of a free-kick as Belgium beat England to qualify for the Nations League finals and he is always a player who gives his all.
With top scorer Hirving Lozano on four goals alongside Insigne and Mertens, these three will cause any defence serious problems. But Gattuso will be equally aware of a threat Milan poses.
Senegalese centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly is a powerful presence at the back for Napoli and he will have his hands full on Sunday night.
Ibra the Great
What can you say about the phenomenon that is Zlatan Ibrahimovic? The 39-year-old Swedish striker has done it all, but he simply keeps on doing it.
So far this season, he has plundered eight goals in seven games and is the Serie A top scorer – two ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Andrea Belotti.
He scored a 93rd minute header to preserve Milan’s unbeaten record in their last home game against Hellas Verona.
And with 18 goals from 23 games, he is continuing with the type of goal ratio which has won him plaudits and silverware at the top clubs in Europe – including Juventus, Barcelona, and PSG.
At 6-foot-5, he will always be an aerial threat but it is Ibra’s brain that is often too quick for his younger opponents.
Pioli tests positive
Rossoneri head coach Stefano Pioli has tested positive for COVID-19 and the 55-year-old is in quarantine at home, which is a blow to the visitors.
He has guided them to the top with five wins and two draws as Milan have looked transformed this season.
In his absence, he will ensure his team will be set up to defend robustly and attack on the break, and it could be a big game for France wing-back Theo Hernandez and keeper Gigi Donnarumma, who can expect a busy night.
Milan missed a chance to extend their lead at the top of Serie A with the home draw against Verona and they won’t want to hand over the top position in Naples.
History
These two giants of the Italian game have had some fierce battles over the years, and the head-to-head Napoli vs Milan results reveal how both have had plenty of success.
Napoli have won 12 of the 39 games played since 1993, one more than Milan’s 11 victories and there have been 16 draws.
The points were shared in both meetings last season, as a 1-1 stalemate in Milan was followed by an entertaining 2-2 draw in Naples.
When playing at home, Napoli have not lost to Milan in nine encounters while the visitors are unbeaten in 14 away games.
Betting Tip
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Napoli vs AC Milan | Over 2.75 @ 1.93 |
| November 23, 03:45 (GMT+8) |
So a draw might be a good shout with the Napoli vs Milan betting odds pitching another stalemate at 3.25, with the hosts at 2.25 to win, and Milan at 2.86.
But I’m backing goals with a profitable night for Napoli’s speedy strikers and Milan’s irrepressible Ibra.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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