After their 22/23 Serie A triumph with 90 points, Napoli suffered a dramatic decline and finished 10th in 23/24.
The club faced many controversies. One of them was the rift between club president De Laurentiis and star striker Victor Osimhen. This ended with the Nigerian striker being loaned out to Turkish side Galatasaray, where he has flourished. European clubs are taking note, as Osimhen’s contract with Napoli will soon expire.
Despite a disastrous season and the absence of their best striker, Napoli have made a comeback in the 2024/25 season and are currently leading Serie A with 26 points.
Napoli only suffered two defeats: The opening match against Hellas Verona (3-0) in August and a 0-3 loss in Napoli against Atalanta in early November. Napoli held their ground in a 1-1 draw with Inter. Scott McTominay opened the scoring for Napoli before Çalhanoğlu equalized for Inter twenty minutes later.
AS Roma’s season has been disastrous on all fronts. Roma’s owners sacked club legend De Rossi just weeks into the season, despite backing him with new signings in the summer.
The club replaced De Rossi with Ivan Jurić, a decision that divided fans. Jurić seemed a rather safe choice, although nothing suggested he would be a good long-term option.
His tenure was short-lived, and less than two months later, Roma sacked their coach again. The story started gaining attention as fans wondered who would succeed Jurić. At 73 years old, Claudio Ranieri came to the rescue, taking over the reigns at the club for the third time.
Roma currently sit 12th in Serie A, having won only three of their 13 games so far. Roma’s Europa League campaign has been inconsistent, with 1-1 draws against Athletic Club and USG, a 1-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv, and a 1-0 loss to Elfsborg.
Alexis Saelemaekers and Eidor Shomurodov are sidelined due to injury.
Bet hereWith Ranieri having just taken over, it is too soon for his ideas to fully take shape. This could result in a lackluster performance from Roma.
The game will be in Napoli’s temple, which is famous for its unique atmosphere. Napoli have been formidable this season with one of the most balanced squads in Serie A.
Roma often concede, and it’s likely that Romelu Lukaku and his teammates will take advantage of Roma’s lack of confidence.
Romelu Lukaku has quickly adapted to Napoli’s system, contributing four goals and four assists in just ten games. These statistics are impressive, especially considering he’s the sole striker of the team. His impressive physique and dominance in the penalty box make him the perfect striker for Napoli.
Lukaku also benefits from the support of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, whose dynamic dribbling and off-ball movement creates ample space for his teammates.
Against an insecure defence like Roma’s, Lukaku is expected to step up and score. He is great at dealing with man-marking schemes in the penalty box and is likely to add to his tally.
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