AS Roma vs Napoli
With Italy’s best team in the first division ambitious to advance to the semifinals, a notable Serie A match between AS Roma and Naples will be held at Stadio Olympico on Sunday.
Napoli, who are in the lead with 26 points, are four points behind them, and at this point, they will further solidify their goal of winning by scapegoating away team AS Roma, who is in fourth place.
Luciano Spaletti is also taking this opportunity to win his first victory over Jose Mourinho. However, the ‘Special One’ is focused on gaining a clear advantage.
Issues
Dybala is still missing, but AS Roma has other weapons
Paulo Dybala’s return to AS Roma did not last long as he was being treated again. The Argentine centre-forward scored against Inter Milan, Real Betis and Lecce but is expected to miss weeks after suffering a hamstring injury.
The 28-year-old is Rome’s most scoring player with seven goals and two assists, which is why he will be missed. At the same time, he is fighting against time with the World Cup 2022 just around the corner.
With Dybala out, Jose Mourinho is looking forward to re-creating the Serie A 2022 highlight with Tammy Abraham failing to score for more than a month. The former Chelsea winger will be on the offensive alongside Andrea Bellotti and Lorenzo Feiégrini, who scored the winning goal against Sampdoria on Tuesday.
Nicolo Zaniolo is one of the players to watch as he has yet to score this season. So far, his season has been ups and downs, but Mourinho remains confident despite his struggles.
He is expected to be suspended after receiving a red card in a Europa League match against Real Betis, and the team will protest the decision. And Mourinho will put him in more Serie A games to recover his form.
Chris Smalling’s score, on the other hand, was a pleasant development for AS Roma considering he was a center back. Having played for Manchester United, he has scored two goals in his last three league matches.
Napoli’s victory continues
Following the recruitment of Lorenzo Insigne, Kalidou Koulibaly and Fabian Ruiz, Napoli became a completely different team. Coach Luciano Spaletti’s emphasis on the power of numbers is paying off in Naples.
Napoli have scored 15 players from 25 goals to date. It is the largest number of teams in Europe’s top five leagues.
Young players like Hvicha Kbaratsuhelia, Giacomo Las Padori, Viktor Osimen and Giovanni Simeone have scored at least four goals each. Veteran Fiotr Zielinski, Matteo Politano and Andre Frank Zambo Angusa also played steady in Naples. Angwisa, who moved permanently this summer, is said to be signing a new contract with the team because he was one of the most influential players.
Record
Last season, Napoli and AS Roma shared points in two league matches, and only two goals were scored in this process. The two teams have not had three consecutive draws since 1995.
AS Roma has never won 12 Serie A home games (7 draws and 5 losses) against the semifinal team for the first time in the season since May 2019 (2-0 victory over Juventus), led by head coach Claudio Ranieri.
But this weekend they won their first four straight games under Jose Mourinho. Previously, the last time such an achievement was in August 2020, led by head coach Paulo Fonseca.
Napoli have won 10 consecutive games in all competitions. The better record was 11 consecutive wins from April to September 1986, led by coach Otavio Bianki.