Napoli are the 2023 Serie A champions and the celebrations in the city of Naples will carry on for days after their heroes won a first Scudetto in 33 years.
A 1-1 draw away to Udinese was enough to seal the title, and it was that man Victor Osimhen who scored the vital second half equaliser to spark bedlam in the away end at the Stadio Friuli. After their celebrations were delayed by Salernitana last week when they conceded a late equaliser, I Partenopei did the job at the second attempt.
Napoli just needed a point, but even that looked in doubt when Sandi Lovric gave the hosts a 13th minute lead, which they held on to until half time. But cometh the hour, cometh the man and Osimhen was on hand to fire in a rebound on 53 minutes to make it 22 for the campaign.
And that was the moment when is seemed, after all, that this would be Napoli’s night. The Serie A 2023 betting odds gave the title to Luciano Spalletti’s team a few weeks ago, but now it’s a reality as Napoli sit proudly, a full 16 points clear of the chasing pack with just five games to play.
Naples won’t sleep for days after seeing their team win a first Scudetto since 1990 and preparations are underway for another celebration on 4th June when I Partenopei host Sampdoria on the final day of the season.
No club south of Rome has won the Serie A title since those heady days when Diego Maradona lit up the city of Naples alongside legendary Napoli stars Ciro Ferrara, Gianfranco Zola, and Careca, and now the Class of 2023 has done it.
Big week in Milan
While Naples enjoys the “party to end all parties” there is serious business to be done in the north of the country. AC Milan and Inter Milan are set to meet in the Champions League semi-final next Wednesday, and we’ll be all over that game here at SBOTOP with the best Asian Handicap Betting odds, previews, and reports.
And it seems that I Nerazzurri have emerged from a temporary slump, while I Rossoneri may are enduring their own stumble. The race for a Champions League 2023/24 place is reaching a dramatic climax with six teams hunting for three places, only six points separating Lazio in second from Roma in seventh.
Either of the Milan clubs could rejoin Europe’s elite by winning the 2023 competition but, with Manchester City or Real Madrid to face in the Champions League final, I wouldn’t count on that.
Of all the Serie A 2023 results this week, the one that stood out was Inter’s 6-0 destruction of Hellas Verona. Lautaro Martinez scored twice to move up to 19 for the campaign and only three behind Osimhen in the race for the Capocannoniere.
And the result meant Inter are in the priceless fourth place after AC Milan were held to a 1-1 draw at home to relegation candidates Cremonese on Wednesday. I Rossoneri host Lazio at home on Saturday before the Champions League semi-final, and the pressure is mounting on head coach Stefano Pioli.
His team has earned just 23 points in 2023 and that would place them in 11th position if the campaign had started in January. They have won just two of their last nine league games despite seeing off Napoli in the Champions League and reaching a first semi-final since 2007.
He has signed a contract to stay at the San Siro until 2025, but angry Milan fans are using the hashtag #PioliOut on Twitter. The boss needs his players to deliver against both Lazio and Inter. Fail in both and pressure will just increase.
Is Zlatan off to Monza?
According to the Italian sports press, one huge figure who is on his way out of the San Siro is Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic who, at the grand old age of 41, is set to leave AC Milan. He is a physical phenomenon, still playing at the highest level, but Zlatan has struggled with injuries this term, making just 11 starts.
That has led to rumours of his departure, and there have been reports that he has made a verbal agreement with new boys Monza, the top league’s underdogs who currently sit in 10th place. With a 15,000-capacity stadium and four Serie C titles as their best achievement, Monza is a humble club which is punching away above its weight since promotion in 2022.
The Stadio Brianteo is just 20 km north of Milan, and some speculators have said the former PSG man’s move to Monza is 90-per cent likely to happen. The club is owned by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who is a big friend of Ibrahimovic.
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