On Sunday, December 20, 2020, the Stadio Olimpico hosts Lazio vs Napoli in Matchday 13 of the 2020/21 Serie A.
The Head Referee for this clash will be Daniele Orsato, the Assistant Referees will be Tegoni and Ranghetti, the Fourth Official will be Chiffi, and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) will be Mazzoleni with the assistance of Vivenzi.
In the 128 times that the two clubs have played each other in Serie A, the Biancocelesti have won on 37 occasions, the Partenopei have won on 50 occasions and there have been 41 draws. When playing at home, Lazio has a record of 27W-19D-18L against Napoli.
As it stands in the top flight of Italian football, the Biancocelesti sit in ninth with a record of 5W-3D-4L (18 points) and the Partenopei sit in fourth with a record of 8W-0D-4L (23 points).
Expected Starting Lineups
Lazio (3-5-2): Reina; Luiz Felipe, Hoedt, Radu; Lazzari, Milinkovic-Savic, Escalante, Luis Alberto, Marusic; Correa, Immobile
- Unavailable: Proto, Lulic, Fares
- Disqualified: –
- One Yellow Card Away From Suspension: Lucas Leiva, Fares, Caicedo
Napoli (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Manolas, Koulibaly, Mario Rui; Fabian Ruiz, Bakayoko, Zielinski; Politano, Petagna, Lozano
- Unavailable: Osimhen, Mertens
- Disqualified: Insigne
- One Yellow Card Away From Suspension: –
Prediction: Lazio 1-2 Napoli
This match takes place after Lazio tied Benevento 1-1 mid-week at the Stadio Ciro Vigorito in Matchday 12 of the 2020/21 Serie A. It was a disappointing result from the Biancocelesti, who were without Lucas Leiva, Mohamed Fares and Francesco Acerbi due to injuries. Benevento continues to impress this season as they’ve been able to steal points from Juventus, Fiorentina and Bologna. It was the battle of the Inzaghi brothers as Simone Inzaghi and Filippo Inzaghi squared off against each other. The visitors struck first as near the half-hour mark, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic delivered a beautiful cross into the box and set up an opportunity for Ciro Immobile. The Italian got in behind the Benevento defender Alessandro Tuia and connected on a shot with the ball in mid-air. He showed great concentration and strength and fired the ball past Benevento goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipò. Right before half time, Benevento capitalized on a rare opportunity off a corner kick. Gianluca Caprari delivered a good ball into the box and Joaquin Correa did a poor job of his clearing attempt directing it forward towards Pasquale Schiattarella. The midfielder fired off a powerful shot through traffic and into the bottom right corner with Lazio goalkeeper, Pepe Reina having little chance of making the save. In the second half, neither side was able to find a second goal as chances came their way but they were unable to capitalize.
In Napoli’s recent match against Inter Milan, they fell short at the San Siro as they lost 1-0. The first 70 minutes of this match had very few opportunities yet Napoli dictated the tempo and pace of the match. Inter played a very defensive-minded game yet had the first chance. Inter retrieved the ball off a Napoli giveaway which resulted in Lautaro Martinez shooting wide of the target. The Argentine had an ample amount of space and time yet failed to convert. Just after the half-hour mark, Napoli had it’s first best chance off the counter-attack. With Inter caught out of position and Piotr Zielinski left unmarked, Andrea Petagna was able to get the ball towards the midfielder but his shot went wide of the goal. Just before the 70th minute, Napoli were denied a golden opportunity to take the lead. Zielinski delivered a beautiful pass to Lorenzo Insigne and he did a great job to redirect the ball towards the goal. Inter goalkeeper, Samir Handanovic positioned himself well and made the save. Moments later, Inter showed some great one-touch passing that resulted in them winning a penalty. Matteo Darmian was fouled by Napoli goalkeeper David Ospina, as he failed to make contact with the ball, and took out his opponent. On the ensuing play, Romelu Lukaku converted and gave Inter the first and only lead in the match. Petagna came close to tying the match in the final minutes yet struck the post and was denied a goal.
Lazio are struggling to find their form in Serie A as they have won two of their last six matches. The same can’t be said in the Champions League as they’ve shown to be a much stronger side when it comes to the European competition. The Biancocelesti will aim to return to winning ways against a side that will be missing their key attackers on Sunday. In their recent fixture vs Inter Milan, Dries Mertens left with an injury and Insigne was given a straight red card for arguing with the referee. Lazio have their own absentees as Leiva and Fares are expected to miss the match, in addition to Acerbi being tagged as questionable. Nonetheless, Lazio will be aiming to take advantage of a squad who are missing many key players. As for Napoli, they have shown much better form, as their recent loss was their first in the past seven matches in all competitions. After a rollercoaster of a 2019/20 season, Napoli manager Gennaro Gattuso has done a really good job guiding them in the right direction and putting them back on course. With both sides fighting for a spot into the Champions League, expect an enticing match on Sunday. If Lazio are to pick up the three points, the Biancocelesti will need to be highly motivated and mentally prepared against a Napoli side who have proven to be difficult to break down.
