There have been a couple of stumbling blocks along the way, but Carlo Ancelotti and his Napoli side look to be finally beginning to jell. Following their last two league wins on the bounce, they now welcome a struggling AS Roma to the San Paolo on Sunday evening with the aim of keeping the pressure on defending league champions and current table toppers Juventus.
- Roma has the worst defensive record of any side in the top seven.
- Napoli has yet to draw a league game so far this season.
- Napoli has won its last three matches across all competitions.
Roma continues to struggle for consistency
Having lost its two key midfielders – Radja Nainggolan and Kevin Strootman – over the summer transfer window, AS Roma has struggled for consistency and looks incapable of putting together a sustained sequence of positive results. In the offensive third, they have looked powerful, with only Juventus and Napoli boasting a better record, but their work across the backline has been far less sturdy, with the club leaking 12 goals already this season.
Ancelotti, in stark contrast, looks to be finding his groove at Napoli, the 3-0 victory over Udinese this past weekend the club’s third in a row across all competitions. While they still sit four points behind Juventus, there has been ample evidence over the Sportsbook weeks of the campaign that they remain the Old Lady’s most fierce title challenger.
Coming into this key clash with Roma, it is Napoli that is the clear favorite to take another three points. You can back Ancelotti’s men to pick up the win at just -134, while Roma is out at +360 to do the same. A draw is priced in the middle at +260.
Expect goals in highly entertaining clash
As noted above, both these teams have been effective in front of goal in Serie A to date. Taking Juventus out of the equation for a second, Napoli and Roma would be the two highest scorers in the entire division.
Napoli has netted 18 goals so far at an impressive rate of two goals per game, while Roma is only a couple of goals back with 16 strikes. In addition, both teams are conceding at a rate of over a goal a game, meaning this could well be the spectacle of the weekend.
And while it is never easy trying to predict the exact scoreline of any given match, a 3-1 win for Napoli in this clash is priced competitively at +1200. That in turn would allow you to back OVER 2.5 goals in the game, at just -150, and both teams to score, which is also priced short at -163.
It is in circumstances such as these that combo betting can help you increase any potential earnings. For example, a Napoli win and both teams to score comes in at +225, while a Napoli win and OVER 2.5 goals in the game is at the slightly shorter price of +150.
Napoli to make use of home advantage
With Napoli looking to find some real rhythm under Carlo Ancelotti, we are expecting them to take the points, despite Roma’s impressive 3-0 win over CSKA Moscow in the UEFA Champions League this past week. You can back Napoli to win to nil (without Roma scoring a goal) at just +240, while the home side is at +150 to score in both halves and the far higher price of +400 to win both halves.
However, given the fact we are expecting goals in this clash, betting on the exact number of goals in the match could also be a potential money spinner. UNDER two goals is priced at +350, while two or three goals sees the odds drop down to +105, and they rise slightly, to +162, for OVER three goals.
Roma’s biggest problem over the Sportsbook weeks of the campaign has been consistency, or rather a lack thereof, and we are not expecting that to change here. Napoli, in stark contrast, is beginning to look like total contenders and should take all three points here as they continue to apply pressure to Juventus.
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