Napoli vs Lazio prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2023-09-01 18:45.
Napoli’s perfect start (W2) means that they could become only the fourth club in Serie A (SA) history to begin a title defence with three straight wins on multiple occasions. The Partenopei first did so in 1987, and while successive Scudettos remain elusive, a victory here against last season’s runners up Lazio would lay down a psychological marker for their nearest challengers.
While a 4-0 loss to fellow heavyweights AC Milan in early April may have done the exact opposite, Napoli are unbeaten in SA home games since then (W4, D2). Four clean sheets sit within that run, but patience may be in order, with mid-February marking the most recent time Napoli bagged a home league goal from open play before the 60th minute!
Lazio, by contrast, began this week inside the relegation zone after a two-game losing start. Despite this, coach Maurizio Sarri remained calm after a poor 1-0 home loss to Genoa on Sunday, praising an “improved” attitude from the matchday one defeat to Lecce. But that calmness will surely fade away if Lazio start a SA campaign with a hat-trick of losses for the very first time in their entire history!
Given the absence of draws in Lazio’s league record as a travelling underdog last season (W4, L3), an all-or-nothing approach might be the order of the day. But that could easily backfire when considering Lazio’s poor return from away league matches where the opening goal has gone against them across the previous two campaigns (W2, D3, L8).
Players to watch: After a brace of assists for Victor Osimhen on day one, defender Giovanni Di Lorenzo rounded off the scoring against Sassuolo last time out – the last time he had a hand in a goal in three consecutive games was in May 2019! But he’ll have his hands full against Lazio’s Ciro Immobile, who has seen eight of his latest nine club goals act as match openers!
Hot stat: Three of Napoli’s previous four SA home wins have seen them net the opener via a penalty.