Napoli vs Lazio

Stadio Diego Armando Maradona forms the backdrop for a mouth-watering Serie A encounter between runaway leaders Napoli and top-four hopefuls Lazio.

Napoli’s 2-0 win at Empoli last weekend, combined with Inter Milan’s defeat at Bologna, saw ‘I Partenopei’ move a staggering 18 points clear at the top of the Serie A table, making a potentially decisive step toward ending a 33-year Scudetto wait. Despite the strength of the visitors, Napoli’s outrageous run of four consecutive league victories ‘to nil’ looks safe and sound, with Luciano Spalletti’s high-flyers winning each of their last nine Serie A games at the Maradona, netting multiple goals eight times in the process. On top of their fantastic home form, the hosts are unbeaten in their last seven top-flight meetings with Lazio on home turf (D1), including a 4-0 thumping in this corresponding fixture in 2021/22.

On the other hand, visiting Lazio slumped to a 2-1 H2H home defeat in the reverse fixture and could suffer a second successive league double to Napoli. But since a 2-0 home loss to Atalanta in early February, Maurizio Sarri’s charges have won back-to-back Serie A matches without conceding, including a 2-0 triumph at Salernitana on their most recent league travel. After losing two straight league outings on the road, ‘I Biancocelesti’ have gone unbeaten in their last three away contests (W2, D1), conceding just once in that run. Another success would see Lazio stitch together three consecutive Serie A wins for the first time since a run of four in October 2022.