Napoli must keep pressure on Juventus with win over Udinese in Italy’s Serie A

With the conclusion of the international fixtures, domestic leagues can once again take center stage, and in Italy, Napoli needs to hit the ground running. Carlo Ancelotti’s side is set to travel to take on Udinese in the ninth round on Saturday, knowing that a win is imperative as they already sit six points behind defending champions and league leaders Juventus.

Udinese vs Napoli Game Center

Three points a must for Ancelotti and his side

Napoli has already slipped up twice so far this season and it could well end up costing them dearly, but it will be the loss they suffered at the end of September which will hurt them the most. Despite taking an early lead, they went down 3-1 to title rivals Juventus and, coupled with their 3-0 defeat to Sampdoria on September 2, they are already six points behind the Old Lady before winter has arrived.

All of which means that this clash with an out-of-sorts Udinese outfit is now a must-win game for Napoli. And given the poor form of their opponents, they come into it as the clear favorite to take all three points and continue to apply pressure to Juventus.

Napoli is at just -175 to make it five wins from six, while Udinese, despite home advantage, is out at +500 to pick up a win after suffering three losses in a row. A draw is priced in the middle at +280, but given the urgency surrounding Napoli, we are fully expecting them to wrap up victory on this occasion.

Napoli’s technical quality to shine through

After a bright start to the season, Udinese has seen an alarming slump over recent weeks, and Napoli’s superior technical quality should see them comfortably to victory on Saturday. In addition to losing their last three matches on the bounce, Udinese has managed to take just four points from their last six encounters and looks to be in real danger of being dragged into a relegation battle.

That makes this clash equally important for both sides, albeit for very different reasons. But Udinese is likely to see their barren run continue and, while it is never easy trying to predict the exact scoreline of any given match, a comfortable 2-0 win for the visitors this weekend comes in at a price of +600.

It is also worth considering combo betting, which can help drive up any potential winnings. For example, you can back a Napoli win and a “No” to both teams scoring, which comes in at +140, while a Napoli win and UNDER 2.5 goals in the game is at the higher price of +290.

Napoli to make a fast start

In their last victory, a 2-0 win over Sassuolo prior to the international break, Napoli sped out of the traps, taking the lead after only three minutes. That in turn meant their opponents were forced to chase the game, particularly in the second half, thus allowing Napoli to exploit wide-open spaces and to hit on the counter-attack.

We are expecting them to try a similar ploy on this occasion, and you can back OVER 0.5 goals in the first 10 minutes of the game at a price of +333. Napoli, meanwhile, is at +600 to be ahead within that time frame.

Despite being away from home, this is a game we are expecting Napoli to control throughout, and as such you can back them to win to nil (without Udinese scoring a goal) at a price of +140. In addition, you can back Napoli to score in both halves – just as they did against Sassuolo – at +150, while they are at +300 to win both halves, exactly like that last league match.

For Napoli, the three points are a must to keep their title aspirations burning. Udinese, meanwhile, would appear to be facing a long, hard slog of a winter.