Yahoo Sports Serie A Preview: Udinese vs Napoli – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction
Knocked down from Serie A’s table summit, Napoli seek a way back to winning ways against mid-table Udinese. Antonio Conte’s charges head into Saturday’s encounter at the Bluenergy Stadium bereft of confidence after back-to-back disappointments against Lazio.
In contrast to Napoli’s recent slip-ups, Udinese received a timely confidence boost ahead of this meeting, netting on either side of halftime to topple relegation-threatened Monza 2-1 on Monday. It was the ideal way to bounce back from a disappointing run of five winless league games (D1, L4).
Firmly stranded in mid-table, Kosta Runjaic’s men are desperate for consecutive league wins for the first time since mid-September to reignite their faltering hopes of securing European qualification. Indeed, the Friulians lag seven points behind sixth-placed Juventus ahead of tomorrow’s kick-off.
Speaking of deficits, Napoli lost their grip on the top spot after Gustav Isaksen’s goal inspired Lazio to a dramatic 1-0 win on a rainy Sunday night in Naples. That result added insult to injury after Marco Baroni’s side crashed the Partenopei out of the Coppa Italia last midweek, courtesy of a 3-1 triumph at the Stadio Olimpico.
Now two points adrift of table-topping Atalanta, Napoli can’t afford another sub-par result. While looking up, they must also look over their shoulders, with fifth-placed Lazio only a point behind pre-round. However, the Bluenergy Stadium isn’t the best place to search for much-needed points.
Match Preview
Udinese
After two high-scoring defeats in 2021, Udinese have held Napoli to consecutive 1-1 draws on home turf. A stalemate has not been an option for the Friulian outfit at home this season. Runjaic’s lads have racked up an outstanding eight wins from nine competitive games here (L3) but have recently performed in patches.
Indeed, they’ve gone from consecutive home league wins ‘to nil’ to back-to-back 2-0 defeats at the hands of Juventus and Genoa. Losing to the former fits Udinese’s notorious habit of collapsing in high-profile matches. For context, they’ve only won on their seven league encounters against teams starting the round in the upper half of the table (D2, L4).
There’s another significant reason for concern in the home camp. Udinese have embarked on an embarrassing 16-game winless Serie A streak against Napoli since dispatching them 3-1 on this ground in April 2016 (D3, L13).
It’s also worth noting that the hosts have conceded the second-most league goals in the opening 15 minutes of the second half (seven).
Napoli
In addition to relinquishing their stranglehold on the division, Napoli suffered another substantial setback against Lazio, potentially losing standout winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia for multiple weeks with an injury. However, it’s not all doom and gloom for the visiting side despite recent slumps against the Biancocelesti.
Unbeaten across their last six Serie A travels (W4, D2), Napoli have established themselves as a force to be reckoned with on the road, racking up five clean sheets in those matches. That’s particularly impressive when factoring in blockbuster fixtures against Juventus and Milan, among others.
However, a lack of attacking fluency could be the visitors’ scourge in Udinie. Conte’s men haven’t scored more than one goal in five of their last six away matches, all competitions included. Without Kvaratskhelia to connect the dots in the final third, another uneventful performance could be on the cards.
To better illustrate Napoli’s scoring woes, their 21-goal haul after 15 Serie A rounds is their worst at this stage of a top-flight campaign since 2009.
Team News
Udinese first-choice goalkeeper Maduka Okoye wasn’t between the sticks against Monza due to a wrist injury and will also be absent from this meeting. Martin Payero, Alexis Sanchez, Oier Zarraga, and Keinan Davis are the remaining missing players in the home squad, alongside long-term absentee Gerard Deulofeu.
On the other hand, Kvaratskhelia is the only notable first-team star sidelined with an injury. Second-string wingback Pasquale Mazzocchi is also on the treatment table, while Mario Rui remains on the fringes after falling out of favor with Conte. David Neres should take the Georgian’s place in attack.
Udinese vs Napoli Potential Starting Line-ups
Udinese (3-5-2): Sava; Kristensen, Bijol, Giannetti; Ehizibue, Lovric, Karlstrom, Ekkelenkamp, Zemura; Thauvin, Lucca.
Napoli (4-2-3-1): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Buongiorno, Olivera; Anguissa, Lobotka; Politano, McTominay, Neres; Lukaku.
Udinese vs Napoli Prediction
Conte has had Udinese’s number, going unbeaten in his last 11 managerial duels against them in Serie A. He’s keen to keep his imperious run going in his first game against the Friulians in charge of Napoli, but we can envisage Runjaic’s side eking out a draw.
